


Rescuing Dragons

by AzureFrost



Series: Dragons [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragons, Elves, F/M, Humor, Knights - Freeform, M/M, Multi, Romance, Vampires, Werewolves, Wizards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-01
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-02-23 13:08:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2548619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzureFrost/pseuds/AzureFrost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to 'Dragon Fire! Alfred & a very pregnant Matthew have been kidnapped. Now Arthur & Gilbert must set out to rescue their dragon lovers from their mysterious kidnappers. But what happens when Arthur is an old friend of one of the villains? Meanwhile, what is Alfred to do when Matthew goes into labor? There will be epic battles, humor, and NORDICS!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello dearests! I'm back with the much anticipated sequel to 'Dragon Fire'! I know y'all are on pins and needles over this one. Strap in kiddies we're going for a ride!
> 
> I own just the plot bunny.

Alfred lay sunning comfortably in the clearing outside the cave he shared with his family. He reveled in the feeling of the light warming the azure and gold scales that covered his massive frame. His leathery wings were spread wide to soak up the rays of light as well. A gentle breeze caressed him and made the forest sing its natural lullabye. A contented hum rumbled up from his chest as he stretched his body to settle in a new position for taking a nap. At that moment all was perfect in the world.  
  
"Allffrreedd…"  
  
The sapphire dragon's entire body cringed at the whiney tone that called out his name and shattered his tranquility. He had never hated the sound of his own name so much.  
  
With a tired sigh the reptile lifted his large head and cracked open one azure eye to look at his companion.  
  
"What is it Matt?" The large lizard asked with a hint of irritation in his voice.  
  
The amethyst and gold scaled dragon laying beside him bristled with indignation.  
  
"Don't take that tone with me, you asshole," Matthew groused and glowered at his brother.  
  
"This is the third time you've woken me from my nap. I'm allowed to be a little cranky," the wheat fringed beast said rolling his eyes in exasperation unfazed by the violet eyes boring into him.  
  
"Well excuse me for thinking that my brother would be more sympathetic to the fact that I'm pregnant and extremely uncomfortable," the periwinkle lizard said with a pathetic huff and settled his features into a pout. His massive form shifted slightly in a futile attempt at finding a more comfortable position for his swollen abdomen and aching frame.  
  
"There was no way I was this whiney when I was pregnant," Alfred muttered with another roll of his eyes as he stretched. He knew that there was no way he would be allowed to return to his nap with Matthew so upset.  
  
"I heard that," the purple reptile hissed. "And no. You were much, much worse,"  
  
The blue dragon shot his companion a scathing look.  
  
"Funny, bro," the azure beast retorted sarcastically as he pressed up onto his feet and nudged his siblings snout with his own.  
  
"Come on. Get up and I'll help you find a way to relax,"  
  
Matthew eyed his brother wearily. He had just managed to find a pseudo-comfortable position and didn't feel like getting up. The sympathetic look that his brother gave him, however, showed that he really had no mischievous intent. He just honestly was trying to help. Sighing tiredly the slighter dragon rose to his aching feet.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"To the river. I use to sit in it in my human form. The water makes you kind of weightless," the blue dragon explained unable to suppress the grin that sprang to his face at seeing his brother perk up at the word weightless.  
  
"That sounds amazing, Al," the pregnant dragon said wistfully.  
  
"Thought you'd like that," the darker fringed lizard said with a fond smile as he led the way to the river.  
  
The purple reptile awkwardly waddled along beside his brother as they made their way the short distance through the woods to the river.  
  
"When did Gil and Arthur say they would be back?" Matthew queried. He had still been asleep when the two humans had set out with Penny to procure some provisions for their little family early that morning.  
  
"Shortly after midday," Alfred responded with a chuckle. "That is if Franny hasn't managed to piss Artie off too much,"  
  
The violet eyed lizard couldn't help the small sigh of defeat that escaped him. Shortly after Gilbert had come to live with Matthew the albino knight's friends, Antonio and Francis, had followed suit settling in North Ameland. As soon as the blonde wizard had been introduced to the newly relocated blonde knight they had taken an instant disliking to each other and their squabbles tended to end rather violently.  
  
"Well hopefully Gil will manage to keep them from killing each other. Especially since they have Penny with them," the amethyst reptile said not believing his own words as the sound of rippling water soon greeted the pair.  
  
Matthew couldn't help the hopeful smile that spread across his face. At that moment he'd have walked across a bed of nails if it would bring him any relief from the discomfort his body was in.  
  
The dragon siblings quickly moved toward a small pool that had formed near the river bank and looked into the clear depths.  
  
"Let's see how cold it is before we jump in," Alfred suggested as he dipped a claw into the swirling waters only to instantly jerk it back out as if he had been burnt. "Shit! It's fucking freezing,"  
  
The periwinkle reptile couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him at his brother's reaction which earned him an irritated glare.  
  
"You know being dragons we have an easy fix for the cold issue," the light gold fringed lizard said as heat built up in his throat and flames burst from his maw. As soon as the flames met the cool waters steam formed and rose up into the sky.  
  
Matthew cut off his flame and dipped a claw into the heated water.  
  
"Much better," the violet eyed dragon sighed as he withdrew his limb and swirling fire engulfed his massive form. Moments later a pale, blonde man stood where the beast had been.  
  
Eager to find relief from his aches and pains the lemon blonde swiftly as possible moved into the pool of water. A rapturous sigh escaped his pink lips as he sank into the shallow depths. Once he was settled into the glorious, buoyancy inducing liquid he turned purple eyes on the cerulean dragon.  
  
"Are you coming?"  
  
Fire swirled around Alfred just as it had his brother and soon the blue dragon was replaced with a tanned, wheat blonde man. The slightly larger man quickly moved into the pool to settle next to his brother.  
  
"Didn't I tell you this would feel great?" the blue eyed man asked while an appreciative sigh escaped his lips and he reclined against the bank.  
  
Matthew simply hummed in response as he let his body relax into the warm liquid surrounding him. This was the first time in the last few months that he had felt this comfortable. The water made his tense muscles turn to goo, the sun warmed his face, and made him a little drowsy. The complete silence of the forest…  
  
Wait! The forest was never silent. Every fiber of the periwinkle eyed man's body instantly tensed at the eerie quiet that hung in the air.  
  
"Al?" the pale blonde whispered tensely as his eyes drifted toward his brother.  
  
"Yeah, I noticed it too," the straw blonde said tension evident in his glowing blue eyes and the slope of his shoulders as he slowly turned to scan the area around them. Dragons who were not always alert didn't live very long as the siblings had learned long ago.  
  
"What can you see?" Matthew asked as his own eyes began to glow a deeper violet using his dragon sight to see what was causing the silence in the forest.  
  
"Nothing," Alfred responded with an anxious edge to his voice. "Matt we gotta get out of here. There must be a wiz…"  
  
Suddenly, the oppressive silence was broken by the most beautiful singing the siblings had ever heard. It seemed to come from everywhere and yet nowhere all at once. It was a haunting, hypnotic sound that swept over the pair like a tidal wave. They instantly felt their limbs grow heavy as if wrapped in lead and their minds became addled with drowsiness.  
  
"Mattie...change into your dragon form. We have to...get away from here," the larger man said in between yawns as he unsteadily rose to his feet and reached out to help his brother.  
  
Matthew tried valiantly to rise. His body just felt so heavy and he was so very tired.  
  
"Alfie," he said turning half-lidded, fearful eyes upward to his brother before slumping against the embankment.  
  
"Mattie! Mattie wake up!" Alfred cried desperately shaking his now unconscious brother's shoulder, but the lemon blonde remained asleep.  
  
Fear gripped the cerulean eyed man's chest as he was finding it difficult to control his movements and the edges of his vision darkened. His fight or flight reflex kicked into high gear at this point.  
  
"Dun worry, Matt. I'll get us outta here," the dark blonde slurred as he sluggishly moved to climb out of the pool.  
  
He had barely gotten half way out of the pool when the singing grew in volume and Alfred felt his body double in weight causing him to collapse on the bank.  
  
'No! I have to fight! I have to change form and get us out of here!' the azure eyed man thought frantically as he tried to draw up his magic but found he could not.  
  
The tanned man fought valiantly against the tiredness that clawed at him but to no avail. Just as sweet oblivion came to carry the blonde away the singing stopped. Alfred lifted his head weakly and watched as a young man stepped into his line of sight.  
  
His frame was small and effeminate clad in blue pants and loose white shirt. His head was crowned with short, pale blonde hair held back by a clip in the shape of a cross.  
  
His face was drawn into an expression of complete indifference. His violet eyes, however, held the most heartbreaking look of remorse and sadness the tan man had ever seen.  
  
Upon seeing that Alfred was still conscious the smaller man quickly made his way to the downed man. He knelt beside the wheat blonde and placed a slender hand on his forehead. Alfred raged internally at himself to move, to struggle, but he was so weak now.  
  
"I'm so sorry," the pale blonde said his soft voice coated in regret. "So very sorry,"  
  
Then the world swept away into blackness.

* * *

  
The sound of a child's desperate wails rang out loudly in the forest as a dark, wooden cart pulled by a large black mare leisurely moved along the well worn trail. The reins were firmly gripped in Gilbert's pale hands as he sent a silent prayer skyward for his niece to quiet her crying.  
  
"Penny, poppet, please calm down. We'll be home soon and you'll see mummy then," Arthur hopelessly pleaded with his distraught daughter. The infant had been sound asleep safely wrapped in her father's loving arms when she had suddenly came awake and started screaming for her mother.  
  
"Liebling, look what Gillie has for you," the albino knight crooned from beside the blonde wizard as he produced a sweet from his tunic in hopes that it would appease the child. He held the candy out for the child to take, but the babe only continued her caterwauling.  
  
"I just don't understand it. She has never behaved like this before," the peridot eyed man said as he gently bounced the little girl making soothing noises to ease the little one's distress.  
  
"We should be home any second. Don't worry Art. Sometimes kids just want their mutters," Gilbert said encouragingly returning the sweet to his tunic. His words did little to comfort the other man.  
  
Arthur hadn't wanted to say anything, but ever since Penny had begun her tantrum a feeling of foreboding had settled in his stomach. His link with Alfred should have been growing stronger yet as they approached home it had seemed to grow weaker. The wizard was unsettled and wanted to get home as quickly as possible.  
  
A relieved sigh passed his lips as the cave the small family shared came into view. The red eyed man deftly maneuvered the cart to the mouth of the cave and both men descended from the vehicle quickly.  
  
"Love, we're home," the sandy blonde called out as he walked determinedly into the cave with his still crying child held securely to his chest. When no response came trepidation again consumed the wizard. Moving swiftly he dashed from room to room searching out his mate and brother in-law. Panic gripped his chest as he found neither man.  
  
"Gil, the boys aren't here!" Arthur cried anxiously as he burst back into the clearing with Penny clutched protectively to his chest. The girl's wails having faded into sniffling hiccups.  
  
"I figured as much when Al didn't come running when he heard Penny crying," Gilbert said from the other side of the clearing where he was crouched observing the ground. "I found tracks leading toward the river,"  
  
Without another word the two men were off in a flash dashing through the forest. The knight's hand instantly going to his sword and the wizard clutched his baby to him.  
  
The nervous aura Arthur was radiating made the albino's own nerves stand on edge. He did not have the same understanding of magic his companion did but he did understand that he could not feel Matthew as he should through their bond. Anxiety for his mate and unborn child spurred the knight forward easily outpacing the wizard.  
  
As soon as the river came into view they both knew something was amiss. Gilbert could see tracks of boot clad men and a cart cut into the soft earth of the riverbank. While Arthur could feel the remains of magic in the air.  
  
The sandy blonde raised his right hand palm out and murmured softly. Instantly, green light filled his palm and little tendrils of light eased out to touch the air. Sparks of purple colored electricity flashed near the wizard's hand and he hissed in pain. Though little burn marks now dotted his skin the emerald eyed man continued to feel out the foreign magic.  
  
Closing his eyes Arthur opened himself to his magic and images flashed against his eyelids. He saw Alfred and Matthew in dragon form approach the river before turning human to lounge in the soothing waters.  
  
He watched in abject horror as panic filled Alfred's eyes and the brothers' collapsed. Rage boiled up inside him as he watched a figure approach his mate. He did not know who this man was, but at that moment he wanted nothing more than to rip out his still beating heart.  
  
The wizard observed as his lover's attacker straightened his form and turned to face him squarely.  
  
Arthur dispelled his magic and recoiled in shock with a gasp as he beheld the man's face.  
  
"Arthur!" Gilbert shouted as he rushed to the smaller man's side and placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. "What is it? What did you see?"  
  
Emerald eyes were wide and cycling through a menagerie of emotions; Fear, anger, confusion.  
  
"He helped them take them," the wizard muttered still reeling from his shock.  
  
"Who? Who helped take our mates?" the albino knight asked anxiously giving his companion's shoulder a small shake.  
  
Distraught viridian eyes rose and locked with worried, angry vermilion.  
  
"Lukas,"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh guys! Thank you so much for all the support. I'm sorry it took me so long to get this latest chapter up. I could bore you with excuses, but I won't. So here's the next chapter. Kudos and comments feed my creativity. I sadly do not own anything but the plot.

“Lukas? Who the Hell is Lukas and how do you know him? Start making sense Eyebrows!” Gilbert raged as he stormed into the cave hot on Arthur’s heels. After the wizard had made his startling revelation he had raced through the woods back to their home in an utter panic. The albino knight had been taken by surprise by these sudden actions and had raced after his brother in-law. He had demanded answers but received none on their trek. This had led to his current foul humour.

“I don’t have time to explain Gilbert. Our mates are in danger and we need to get on their trail as soon as possible before it goes cold,” the straw blonde barked angrily as he walked into his chamber. With determined steps he moved over to Penny’s crib and laid the small child gently inside it. The poor babe had fallen asleep in exhaustion from sobbing over her missing mother.

Arthur gently brushed his daughter’s bangs back and smiled at her with watery eyes. His heart ached for his poor child. She was barely a year old and had no understanding of the world. All she knows is that her mother was gone and it broke her little heart. The sandy blonde placed a loving kiss on the infant’s brow before turning to his task. Moving deftly he flew around the room grabbing two satchels and filling them with various things.

“Now what the Hell are you doing? I don’t care if we have time for an explanation or not. I want answers now!” the albino, who had stood fuming in the chamber entry way, shouted directing all of his anger upon his brother in-law. The smaller man paused to turn glaring green eyes on angry red.

“Go get your equipment and pack a travel bag. I’m leaving in ten minutes. I will explain everything later,” the wizard stated coldly and left no room for questions. The knight watched his companion for a moment longer before storming off with a growl to his own chamber across from Arthur’s.

Upon entering his chamber the knight felt his heart clench as he caught sight of the bassinet sitting next to Matthew’s side of the bed. Alfred had gifted them with the little wooden cradle that had been Penny’s shortly after Matthew had discovered he was with child. They had all been so happy and filled to bursting with joy that day. Ruby eyes blinked rapidly to hold back the distraught tears that threatened to fall as Gilbert gathered his satchel and began quickly filling it.

“Hold on lieblings. I’m on my way,”

* * *

 

“Oui, oui. I heard you the first time. I’m coming,” Francis called out aggravatedly as he made his way to his front door that was being assaulted by some unknown brigand. He wiped his hands on his indigo apron to remove the flour that covered them. Why did people always insist on bothering him when he was in the middle of creating one of his marvelous pastries?

Upon reaching his destination he grasped the knob firmly and threw open the door. His deep blue eyes widened in surprise at what he found.There on his front step stood Gilbert and Arthur with a slumbering Penny held tightly to his chest.

“Mes amis did you forget something?” the blonde knight asked raising one well manicured brow curiously. He was bewildered as to why his friends had returned so soon after having been there no more than two hours ago.

“Nein, Franny. Something terrible has happened and we have a favor to ask,” Gilbert said tensely as he fisted his hands at his sides barely able to contain his emotions.

“Of course mon ami. Whatever you need I am here to help but tell me what has happened?” the light blonde said opening his arms in a friendly gesture and worry edging each of his words.

“Someone has taken Alfred and Matthew,” the albino said through clenched teeth and his eyes burned like embers.

“Mon dieux,” the blue eyed night murmured and placed a hand over his heart. He pitied whatever fool had taken the lovers of these two men. They would know no mercy.

“We have to leave immediately if we want to have any luck of finding our mates,” Arthur spoke for the first time as he stepped forward with his daughter held tightly in his arms. “While it pains me to ask this would you please care for Penny in my absence?”

Francis stared at the wizard in surprise. He knew it was killing Arthur to ask him for help and normally he would jump at the opportunity to tease the life out of the smaller blonde. It was one of his favorite activities, but now was not the time for such things. This situation was far too grave for childish antics.

"Of course, mon ami. I will care for her as if she were my own," the blue eyed blonde said as he extended his arms to accept his charge.

“You had better,” Arthur stated as he looked down into the sleeping face of his daughter and he felt his chest constrict. "Don’t you worry poppet. Daddy will find mummy and make sure that those who took him pay dearly,"

The sandy blonde placed a kiss on the infant’s cheek before carefully handing her to Francis. He set the largest of his two satchels down within the entrance of Francis’ home before focusing his attention on the homeowner.

“Everything you should need is in that satchel. It’s bigger on the inside. Now she’ll be hungry when she wakes. We’ve been giving her oats soaking in warm goats milk. She has recently learned to walk so don’t take your eyes off her for a moment…”

“Eyebrow’s calm yourself. I have taken care of petits enfants before. Go and rescue your lovers. Penny and I will be waiting for your valiant return,” Francis interjected with a soft chuckle effectively cutting off the wizard’s overprotective rambling.

Arthur glared at the taller blonde, quite indignant at being cut off, before dropping his gaze with a resigned sigh.

"Right then," he murmured looking one last time at his precious child. "Come along, Gil. We have dragons to find,"

The wizard turned hurriedly causing his cloak to billow dramatically as he began walking away from the other blonde’s home. The albino nodded to his companion before quickly leaning forward and placed a kiss on the slumbering baby's cheek.

"Worry not little one. Onkel will bring everyone back safe and sound because he's awesome like that," Gilbert said in his usual cocky manner and turned his ruby eyes on Francis. "Take care of her mein freund,"

"You can count on me mon ami," the blonde knight said as he held his charge firmly to his chest and smiled reassuringly.

The pale knight gave a small nod before turning on his heels to follow after his brother in-law.

“Oh, one more thing, Francypants,” Gilbert paused in his movements to look back at his friend. “Whatever you do, do not take that bracelet off of Penny,”

Francis looked at his friend quizzically before his gaze fell upon the baby’s small left wrist that was encircled by a small silver chain. Every few links there was a small disc that was inscribed with symbols the blonde did not recognize.

“Why?” the deep blue eyed man queried as he fingered the lovely trinket.

“That’s the only thing keeping her magic in check. That comes off and you may find your hair set on fire by a baby dragon,” the knight said with a grimace at memories of his own troubles with his niece. “Good luck,”

With that the albino tore off after his companion leaving a stunned and quaking Francis in his wake.

* * *

 

When Alfred awoke three things registered in his head. One he was starving, two he was freezing, and three he felt like he had been repeatedly run over by a cart.

With a pained groan the wheat blonde slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. He took note that whatever he was laying on was hard and cold.

He slowly slid his blue eyes open and blinked to drive away the blurriness. As the world became clearer Alfred could see that he was not in the cave he shared with his family. It was far too dark and small. It was bitterly cold and the torch light left much in shadow. The stone was completely different and were those cell bars?

_‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,’_

Sudden flashes of memory pushed painfully to the forefront of the tan man's mind and panic constricted his chest.

That man. The man with the sad, violet eyes he had done something. Something that had made them pass out and now they'd been taken. He and Matt...Oh scales Matt!? Where was Mattie?!

Terrified cerulean eyes darted frantically around the unfamiliar cave before falling on the prone form of Matthew, who lay facing him on the other side of the small space. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be barely breathing.

Alfred was instantly on his feet at rushed to his brother’s side. His body trembled in fear as he knelt down and gently shook the lemon blonde’s shoulder.

"Mattie! Please wake up! Please be all right!" the ash blonde said near hysterically as he continued to shake the smaller man’s shoulder as gently as his quaking hands would allow.

A pained, aggravated groan resounded in the small space and the tan blonde thought it to be one of the most beautiful sounds he'd ever heard. Bleary amethyst eyes blinked open and looked up questioningly at the larger man.

"Al? What’s going on? Where are we?" Matthew asked groggily as he tried to lift himself into a sitting position.

"I don’t know Matt. I woke up just a little bit ago," Alfred responded as he gently helped his brother into an upright position.

"How did we even get here? Last thing I remember we were at the river. There was singing," the lemon blonde said as his indigo eyes surveyed their new surroundings.

Alfred opened his mouth to respond but snapped it shut when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. The larger male’s protective instincts kicked in full force and he shifted to his feet. Placing his body so that he was between his sibling and the cell entrance.

The footsteps grew louder until they sounded like they were mere meters from coming into view. Azure eyes watched as a figure came within his sight. The man was tall and well built with pale skin. He wore loose black trousers and a deep red shirt. His blonde hair stood up in a spiked style that defied gravity and a small cap somehow managed to adorn his head. When his blue eyes fell upon the pair a wide grin spread on is attractive face.

“You’re awake. That’s awesome,” the stranger said as he shifted the bundle he carried under his left arm and used the other to swing open the cell entrance which apparently had not been locked in the first place. He sauntered into the cell still grinning and slowly approached the brothers.

Alfred bared his teeth and took up a defensive stance. He growled warningly at the other man causing him to pause in his endeavour. The spiky blonde cocked his head to the side in a questioning gesture.

“What’s with the hostility man? I just came to bring you guys some clothes,” the tall man asked and lifted the bundle under his left arm to show his intent.

“I just woke up in a cell with my unconscious brother. Forgive me if I’m not very trusting,” the tan man said snarkily still baring his teeth and his stance radiating aggression.

“Ah, now I see where you’re coming from. I was pretty hostile when I got here too, but you can chill man. I’m a prisoner here too,” the blue eyed blonde said strolling forward and offered his unoccupied hand. “I’m Mathias,”

The ash blonde eyed the other man wearily before he slowly took his hand and gave it a firm shake.

“Alfred and this is my brother, Matthew,” the cerulean eyed blonde said indicating the lemon blonde with a nod of his head and releasing Mathias’ hand.

“Oh another Matt. That’s cool dude,” the spiky blonde said looking past Alfred to the still sitting Matthew and his smile widened.

“Nice to meet you,” the periwinkle eyed man said as a shiver visibly ran through his entire body. Mathias took notice of this and his smile lessened significantly.

“Here lets find you something to wear. The cold isn’t good for the baby,” the tall man said stepping around Alfred so that he could reach Matthew.

Instinctively, Alfred’s hand shot out grasping Mathias’ upper arm stopping him in his tracks. Tension instantly radiated between the two large blondes at the aggressive action. Sensing an impending fight Matthew took action to defuse the situation.

“Al, let him go. We can trust him,” the pale blonde said soothingly as his soft violet eyes looked with his brother’s worried azure ones. Cautiously, the wheat blonde released the other man, but his eyes followed every move the other made.

Once he was released Mathias quickly knelt down beside Matthew and set down his bundle.

“He always like this?” the pale man asked as he picked through the clothing he had brought looking for something the other blonde could wear.

“No, usually he’s a big, dumb puppy dog,” the amethyst eyed blonde said with a snicker.

“Hey! That’s mean Mattie,” Alfred said indignantly as he crossed his arms over his chest and a pout formed on his face.

“Man you two remind me of my brother and me,” Mathias said with a snicker before his eyes drifted off wistfully. “I miss him a lot,”

“I’m sorry, Mathias,” the wavy blonde said resting a gentle hand on the other’s arm. “Where is he?”

“Don’t know, but anywhere is better than here,” the taller man said with a bitter note in his voice as he pulled out a pair of large white trousers and an equally large bright red tunic. He handed the articles of clothing to the smaller man and returned to the bundle to find something for Alfred.

“Where is here exactly?” Alfred asked as he stepped forward to help his brother rise to his feet. The very pregnant man shot his brother a very appreciative look before he pulled the shirt over his head.

Mathias rose to his feet, having found a pair of blue trousers and white shirt that looked like they would fit the tan man. He handed the clothing to the ash blonde and smiled bitterly.

“Welcome to Nordlin. The land of eternal ice and cold. Otherwise known as dragon hell. Population our unfortunate asses,” the spiky haired blonde said making a grand sweeping gesture with his arms. “We are the unwilling guests and soon to be slaves of this jackass who calls himself ‘The Dragon Master”


	3. Chapter 3

Strands of green light swirled and spun suspended in the air between Arthur’s pale hands. His eyes were closed in concentration as soft words were murmured in an ancient tongue causing the light to shift and solidify. The viridian light morphed into the form of a compass. The needle of the magical construct spun wildly without focus. The wizard’s brow furrowed in frustration as his words became more aggressive and harsh making the needle stutter in its movement. A crack formed along the surface of the construct before the entire creation collapsed in on itself and withered to shimmering dust.

“GAH!!!! Why isn’t it working?!” Arthur cried out in utter frustration  as he threw his arms up in the air as a gesture of defeat. The wizard had been trying for the better part of an hour to create a tracking spell with no success.

A snicker at his back made the sandy blonde turn and glare at his companion. Gilbert sat on a large rock in the clearing they had chosen to stop in to attempt the spell. His head rested in his right hand that was supported by resting on his knee. His once bored expression was now replaced by one of mirth.

“And what, pray tell, is so amusing?” the smaller man all but growled at the knight with venom lacing his voice.

“You know the definition of insanity is repeating the same action again and again while expecting a different outcome,” the albino commented as he slowly rose from his spot and stretched his tired body. They had been on the move non-stop for five days and it was taking a toll on them both.

“Your point,” Arthur groused as he turned away from the other man and prepared to try his spell one more time.

“My point, Eyebrows,” the silver haired man sauntered forward and flung an arm over the smaller man’s shoulders. “Is that we need to try something else to track our dragons,”

The smaller man pulled away from his brother in-law and turned irritated viridian eyes on him.

“I’ve told you already. You have to fight magic with magic. We tried your way to begin with and that trail went cold quickly. No, we’re doing this my way,” the straw blonde said as he took a deep breath and again prepared to try his spell.

“Come on, Art. Give it a rest so we can at least get something to eat. We’ve been at this for days without a break. I’m starving and bet you are too,” the knight whined as he wrapped his arms around his middle to emphasize his words.

“I am perfectly fine. There are more important things to do now than…” the wizard trailed off as a rather loud growl emanated from his midsection.

Silence hung over the pair for several moments before loud barking laughter rang out from the albino knight.

“Oh man that was classic. I’m glad to see that at least your stomach has some sense,” Gilbert said wiping tears from his ruby eyes once he had gotten his laughter under control.

“Traitor,” Arthur muttered at his treacherous belly with a vicious glare before raising his eyes to meet his companions. “All right you win. I believe I saw an inn about a few kilometers back. I’ll just find a large enough shadow…”

“Oh no,” the knight interjected and raised his arms defensively. “We are not doing that weird shadow travel thing you like to do again,”

“And why the bloody Hell not? It’s faster than walking,” the green eyed wizard queried as he crossed his arms over his chest obstinately.

“It’s creepy and un-awesome. I swear something touched me the last time we went through one,” the pale man said with a shudder.

“Oh, is the big, brave knight perhaps a little scared of the dark?” the sandy blonde teased with an evil smirk curling his lips.

“No way! Someone as awesome as me isn’t afraid of anything,” the vermilion eyed knight exclaimed indignantly.

“Then what’s the problem?” Arthur asked as he uncrossed his arms and strode over to a large tree. He inspected the shadow it cast for a moment before finding it to be satisfactory for travel. He drew some magic into his hand and waved it above the shadow with a few soft words. The darkness slowly became more dense and solidified into a set of descending stairs.

“There is not a problem. It’s just that the dark makes me...uneasy. I dislike not being able to see what’s coming at me,” Gilbert said as he walked up behind the wizard knowing that he had lost this battle.

“Do you need me to hold your hand?” the smaller man questioned turning to face the larger man with a malicious, teasing glint in his veridian eyes and offered his hand.

“You’re an ass,” the albino said smacking away the smaller man’s hand. “Let’s just get this over with,”

The wizard snickered  as he turned and descended into the shadow with the knight right on his heels.

* * *

An hour later found the pair finishing the meal they had ordered upon reaching the small roadside inn. It was a rather nondescript establishment all old worn wood and travel decoration. The beds were warm and the food decent as the pair had just learned.

“That hit the spot,” Gilbert said with an appreciative belch as he set down his utensils and patted his now full stomach.

"You are disgusting, ” Arthur said with a look of utter disdain as he dabbed at the corner of his mouth with his napkin before setting it aside.

"Hey that was a compliment in other lands," the knight retorted rocking his seat back onto two legs and rubbing his stomach more.

"Well here it is rude and disgusting. Honestly, how you were ever allowed to dine with nobles and royals is beyond me," the wizard said with a roll of his eyes before taking a sip of the tea he had ordered.

"It's because I'm just that awesome," the vermilion eyed man said with an impish grin as he slowly lowered his chair to rest on all its legs. He leaned forward slightly and locked eyes with his companion. "Have you noticed the brunette in the corner?"

The straw blonde quirked one massive brow questioningly before covertly shifting his gaze to observe the aforementioned brunette. The woman’s hair was long and held back by what appeared to be orange flowers. She wore a light green cloak that off set her vibrant green eyes that currently were boring a hole into the pair.

The wizard’s gaze shifted back to his brother in-law.

“I thought your tastes ran more towards violet eyed blondes," he teased and took another sip of his tea.

"While she is quite attractive she can't hold a candle to mein birdie. I’m more interested in why she has been staring us down since we got here," the silver haired knight said before shooting the green eyed woman a flirtatious wink. He smirked at how she recoiled at his forward actions. Pulling a face as if she had tasted something vile. Arthur chuckled at his friend and gracefully rose to his feet.

“Shall we find out then what has drawn this woman’s undivided attention upon us?” the blonde wizard queried as Gilbert also stood from his seat. The albino grinned wolfishly at the smaller man.

“Absolutely,” he said before he casually led the way to the tavern door. The pair made their exit and had barely gotten a few meters from the inn before they heard footsteps behind them.

“Not very stealthy is she?” the straw blonde commented just loud enough for his companion to hear him.

“No, not at all. On three then?” the ruby eyed man responded at a matching volume while keep his gaze locked forward and his mannerisms casual.

“One,” the wizard said as he gathered magic into his hands.

“Zwei,” Gilbert’s own hand moved to the dagger in his belt. Moving wordlessly as one the two men did an abrupt about face and took up defensive stances fully prepared for any attack their pursuer may have for them. To their utter bewilderment all they found was empty space.

“Where did she go?” Arthur questioned as he shifted so that his back was pressed against the knight’s back.

“I don’t know. So keep your eyes open,” the silver haired man said cooley as his red eyes scanned the area around him and he held his dagger firmly in his hand. He was in his element though it had been sometime since last he was in a battle. All was deathly silent save for the sound of their own breathing.

The sudden sound of  rushing footsteps caught the knight’s attention and he barely had time to dodge to the left as a dagger came dangerously close to slicing his chest. The woman growled in frustration and fell back slightly to give herself room for another attack. Going on the offensive Gilbert followed her movements and swung his own blade aiming to wound her rather than kill.

The brunette was amazingly fast though and managed to dodge his attack. The silver haired man quickly assessed that due to her speed he would either need to take this opponent down quickly by finding an opening or he would have to waste time wearing her down. Choosing the former the knight decided to use his secret weapon: His mouth.

“I have to say I’m use to women throwing themselves at me for my awesome attention, but this is the first time I’ve been attacked. Honestly, gorgeous all you had to do was introduce yourself,” Gilbert said flirtatiously as he dropped back into defensive mode making the woman falter minutely.

“Don’t flatter yourself, you bastard. Just tell me where Roderich is and maybe I’ll spare your sorry life,” the green eyed woman growled as her face contorted into a disgusted sneer. She lunged forward aiming for the ruby eyed man’s throat. The albino easily dodged the attack and countered with an attack of his own forcing his opponent to fall back.

“Who’s Roderich?” the knight queried quirking one silvery brow as he fell into a defensive stance.

“Don’t play dumb with me! I can smell the dragons on you!” the tawny haired female exclaimed as she attacked in a furious flurry. The dragon comment caught the ruby eyed man’s attention, but he would worry about that once he had subdued the woman. Her attacks were rapid yet they were very sloppy and Gilbert saw his opportunity.

Moving swiftly the albino dodged the downward swing of his opponents blade and surged forward tackling the smaller woman to the ground. He quickly managed to disarm the green eyed woman and pin her by capturing her hands above her head in each of his own. His hips straddled hers and he found himself fighting to hold her. She was surprisingly strong as she continued to wrestle against him.

“Quit struggling before you get yourself hurt,” the silver haired male barked as his vermilion eyes locked with enraged green. The brunette stopped her wriggling, but continued to stare venomously at her captor.

“Release me,” she ordered through gritted teeth.

“Yeah, not gonna happen. Now start explaining that bit about the dragons sweetheart,” the knight said with a condescending smirk.

“Your funeral,” the captured woman said with an odd little half smile and a victorious glint in her eyes. A sudden scream escaped the green eyed woman’s lips and her back arched at a sharp angle. The sudden jerk of the smaller frame managed to dislodge the pale man and forced him to release his captive.

Red eyes watched in a mix of wonder and horror as the woman rolled onto her stomach as the sound of tearing ligaments and snapping bones filled the air. Soft brown fur began to sprout up all over the writhing female as her body morphed into a new shape. The simple tan tunic and short skirt she had worn tore and fell away. An agonized scream shifted into an agonized howl as her teeth grew more pointed and her face elongated into a snout. Moments later the green eyed woman was gone and in her place stood a massive tawny wolf. The creature turned and growled aggressively at the knight.

“Um, Art. I think I’m going to need some help over here,” Gilbert called out to his companion his eyes never leaving the beast before him. He knew the minute he let his guard down the wolf would rip out his throat.

“I’m dealing with my own problems right now, Gil. You’re a big strong knight you’ll be fine,” the wizard called back as he managed to deflect another blow with his magic shield.

When the knight had been attacked by the brunette woman Arthur had himself been set upon by a blue eyed, brunette man. He wore a simple forest green tunic and trousers. Though he looked quite non-threatening the determined glint in his eyes and way he swung his broad sword proved otherwise.

“You seem like a reasonable fellow, sir. Couldn’t we discuss whatever you and your companions issue with us is like gentleman?” the sandy blonde queried as he lashed out with the whip-like strand of magic he had called to his aid.

The tawny haired man dodged the whip’s bite and followed up with an attack of his own only to have it deflect off of the wizard’s shield.

“Elizaveta says she smells dragons on you,” the blue eyed male said simply as he pulled back for another attack. Arthur’s eyes narrowed at the mention of dragons and the grip on his whip tightened.

“And what of it?” the viridian eyed man asked harshly as he snapped his weapon at his opponent.

“It means you may know or work for whoever took our dragons,” the brunette said as he unexpectedly took the hit to his shoulder from the whip full on. His actions stunned the wizard into inaction. A victorious smile crossed the other man’s face as he bolted forward with all his might and knocked the blonde to the ground. Having lost his concentration Arthur’s magic dissipated and he found the edge of a blade pressed dangerously close to his throat.

“Now tell me where my Feliks is or I swear I will end you here,” the brown haired male threatened with his eyes full of murderous intent. A light went on in Arthur’s mind as understanding swept over him.

“My mate was taken as well,” the magic wielder said simply as his green eyes locked with blue. His assailant started slightly at the casual statement, but recovered swiftly.

“You’re trying to trick me,”

“No, I can prove it. My mated mark is just below my left collarbone. I can show you,” the sandy blonde said as he tried to convey his sincerity in both his words and eyes. Blue eyes surveyed the downed man wearily before the brunette gave a consenting nod.

The green eyed man slowly brought his left hand up and clasped the collar of his tunic. He tugged it down and there below his collarbone were the scars from where Alfred’s teeth had marked him.

Cobalt eyes widened in realization and the tawny haired man pulled away from his opponent.

“You’re telling the truth,” he said in a small, guilty voice.

“Of course I am. Now, please, call your friend off my companion. My mate’s brother will be quite upset if she kills him,” the wizard said a bit gruffly as he rubbed at his throat. The man nodded before rising to his feet and approaching the other pair.

“Elizaveta, stop. They're like us. Their mates were taken to,” the brunette called to his companion causing her to pause. She had her body pressed firmly into Gilbert’s chest and her jaws were poised to tear out his throat. The brown wolf pulled back and quizzically eyed her friend.

“Mr. Knight show her your mated mark,” the brunette male said.

Gilbert eyed the other man before looking to Arthur who gave him a nodded that indicated he should as he was told. The albino quickly took hold of his collar and pulled it aside to show where Matthew had marked his shoulder.

Green eyes surveyed the mark briefly before a wet snout lowered and snuffled at the spot. The tawny wolf shifted back and climbed off of her opponent. She then sauntered off to the treeline and disappeared.

“Mind explaining what is going on, Eyebrows?” Gilbert asked as he rose to his feet and rubbed his tender chest.

“It would seem our boys are not the only dragons that have been taken,” Arthur explained as he moved to stand beside his brother in-law.

“And they attacked us because?”

“We thought you were the ones who had taken our mates,” the brunette woman, Elizaveta apparently, stated as she reappeared from the trees clad in her green cloak. “You do smell of dragon,”

“So naturally, anyone who smelt of dragon had to be a dragon-napper. Makes total sense,” the albino knight snarked as his ruby eyes rolled skyward.

“Honest mistake,” Elizaveta countered as she fixed the silver haired man with an icy glare.

“If you two are quite finished with behaving like children I propose we work together to find our mates,” the wizard interjected huffily. Bewildered green and red eyes turned to focus on the sandy blonde.

“You’re kidding right, Art? This psycho nearly ripped my throat out,” Gilbert exclaimed gesturing slightly at the brown haired woman.

“Watch who you’re calling psycho, asshole. I kicked your ass once. I can do it again,” the smaller woman said with a threatening growl.

“I agree with the wizard,” the brunette man suddenly injected in hopes of distracting the bickering pair. All eyes were quickly focused on him.

“Toris, you traitor, how could you agree with him? We’re fine on our own,” the woman argued.

“No, Elizaveta. Our trail has run cold. We need help,” the tawny haired man, Toris, countered and glared determinedly at his companion. They stood locked in a battle of wills for several moments before Elizaveta surrendered with a resigned sigh.

“Fine,” she groused and turned away from the group to pout. Toris rolled his eyes before turning toward Arthur.

“So where do we start?”


	4. Chapter 4

“So this Dragon Master asshole, what does he want exactly?” Alfred asked as he and Matthew followed behind Mathias. The tall blonde was leading them through the halls of the small wing that housed all the captives. Apparently, there were better accommodations than the barren, cold cell.

“Oh, you know. Take over the world starting with Ailateh. You know the usual megalomaniac dick spiel,”  the blue eyed man said with a casual wave of his right hand.

“And he’s going to use us as his ‘ultimate weapon’,” Matthew added making air quotes with his fingers.

“Hit the nail right on the head,” the large man said sending a smile over his shoulder at the petite blonde.

“So this moron thinks we’re just going to fall in line and do his evil bidding?” the ash blonde asked as the trio continued winding their way through the halls of the fortress.

“Pfft. No, he’s not that stupid...Oh, look here’s the common room. Come on I’ll introduce you to the others,” Mathias said as he pushed open the wooden door.

When the brothers walked into the new space they were shocked by what they found. The room was very large with numerous torches imbedded into the walls to give off light since there were no windows. Grand woven multi colored rugs covered much of the floor. Plush couches and settees were grouped about the area with small tables near some. Bookcases lined one wall, but held little contents.

"This place is pretty swank," Alfred said with an appreciative whistle as he and Matthew moved further into the room.

"Like thanks. Rod and I totally arranged everything ourselves," a voice called out surprising the siblings. A head of blonde hair suddenly popped up from one of the couches facing away from them. The new person turned to face the small group with a smile. "Oh, but like aren't you two a pair of cuties?"

The new blonde quickly bounded up from their seat and flounced over to the siblings. It was a bit difficult to tell if their new companion was male or female since they were attired in a white peasant shirt tucked neatly into a long pink skirt yet lacked any feminine curves.

"Guys meet Feliks. Don't let the skirt fool you. While he does look like a sexy lady he is definitely a guy," Mathias said as he gestured to the smaller blonde whose green eyes were currently assessing the brothers.

"You would know, Mat, since you like checked. Oh, this one like has a little pudge on him," the effeminate man teased as he prodded Alfred's midsection making him jump.

"Hey! Rude much?" the wheat blonde grumbled but was completely ignored as the green eyed blonde now had his focus on Matthew.

"Like oh my scales you have got to be the cutest little pregnant thing I have like ever seen," the pink clad male exclaimed as he buzzed around the lemon blonde. "You're skin is like amazing and you like have to tell me what you put in your hair. It looks so soft,"

Feeling cornered the periwinkle eyed man shot his brother a pleading look in hopes of being rescued, but all he received was a shrug.

A jovial chuckle from Mathias quickly drew everyone's attention.

"Down, Feliks. You're scaring him," the spiky haired blonde said teasingly. The green eyed blonde turned toward him with a pout.

“But Mat! He is like SO cute," the petite blonde said latching firmly onto Matthew’s left arm.

"I can't argue with you there, but give him some room to breath. He is pregnant," the tall man said with a casual wave of his hand.

"Oh, for goodness sake. Would you all please keep it down? Some of us are trying to enjoy the escapism of a good book and break up the utter boredom of this prison," another voice suddenly spoke out drawing all eyes to the opposite side of the room.

There in a large maeve armchair sat a very aristocratic looking brunette. His violet eyes, set behind a pair of black frame glasses, had stopped the perusal of the book he held daintily in his hand to haughtily look up at the group of blondes.

“Like Roddy put down that musty thing and like come say hello to the new arrivals,” Feliks chirped excitedly releasing Matthew to wave over the other man.

With a rather put upon sigh the purple eyed male snapped his book closed and set it aside. He rose fluidly to his feet and fixed the invisible wrinkles in his indigo shirt that was tucked neatly into a pair of brown trousers.

With an air of aristocracy the dark haired man strode across the room to join the group.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Roderich,” he said levelly as he extended his right hand toward Alfred upon reaching the ash blonde.

“Alfred and this is my brother Matthew,” the azure eyed male responded nodding toward the lemon blonde and took the pre-offered hand before giving it a good shake.

"Nice to meet you," Matthew said as he moved forward and also shook the brunette's hand.

"Likewise, ” Roderich said before turning his attention to Mathias. "Have you told them about what has been going on?"

"A little bit. We were actually discussing it on the way here," the tall blonde said with a grin.

"Have you explained to them about Lukas..."

At that moment the door to the common room flew open cutting off Roderich's words and drawing everyone's attention.

When Alfred’s eyes fell upon the figure now standing in the doorway he felt the blood in his veins run cold. It was the amethyst eyed man that he had seen just before he lost consciousness.

“Lukas~,” Mathias merrily crooned as he swiftly moved toward the rather petite man with his arms held apart indicating that he intended to embrace the other. The wheat blonde was baffled by this friendly behavior. Did the others not know that this was the wizard who had helped lead to their imprisonment?

Unfortunately, he did not have time to mull this over as he watched a coil of purple magic form in the pale blonde’s hand. It then wound its way about the larger blonde’s neck when he was a mere foot from the violet eyed man. Cerulean eyes narrowed angrily as Mathias suddenly found himself being jerked down to eye level with the smaller man.

“You idiotic dragon. This is where you’ve been? There are things I need you to do and you are here having a social hour,” Lukas said in a manner that was so cool and level it came across more menacingly than if had yelled the words instead.

“Babe...Can’t...Breathe…” the spiky haired male gasped out as his hands rose to his neck and tried to tug at the magic coil.

With a roll of his eyes and an irritated sigh the pale blonde dispelled the binding. Mathias greedily sucked in large mouthfuls of air to ease his aching lungs.

“Did you at least see to the new acquisitions?” the wizard queried flatly and crossed his arms over his chest.

Oh, that was it. Alfred had seen and heard enough. He was going to take this haughty little ice queen out and they were all getting the Hell out of here. Moving slowly, so as not to draw attention, the ash blonde moved into a position that would do minimal damage to the space around him and prepared to shift forms.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the pale wizard said suddenly without even looking in the blue eyed man’s direction. The tan male was stunned momentarily, but quickly recovered sending a death glare at his enemy.

“Screw you, you dragon-napping asshole,” he shouted before calling upon his dragon magic.

“I warned you,” Lukas said casually.

A scream of utter agony tore its way past Alfred’s lips as sudden searing pain radiated outward from the spot just behind his left ear and coursed through his body. The large man collapsed to the floor and curled into a ball as his form felt as if it was being ripped apart from the inside.

“ALFRED!” Matthew screamed as he shot toward his brother in an utter panic. The lemon blonde knelt beside his writhing sibling and embraced him.  He was horrified to find that Alfred had passed out from the pain. Enraged, periwinkle eyes glared up at the petite wizard.

“What did you do to him you son of a bitch?”

With an irritated sigh the pale blonde paused in his beratement of Mathias to turn bored eyes on the other blonde.

“I did nothing. He did it to himself,” the purple eyed wizard said before again turning to the spiky haired blonde.

“Don't’ brush me off you bastard. I want answers!” Matthew cried out angrily as he rose up slightly but still protectively clung to Alfred.

“I don’t have time for this,” Lukas grumbled as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Mathias, I’m going to see what my sources have to report. Explain to the new arrivals how things work here. I will see you later,”

With that the wizard turned on his heels and promptly left the common room. Venomous purple eyes followed his retreating form until he was gone from sight before turning on Mathias.

“Start explaining now,” the lemon blonde commanded authoritatively as he shifted into a sitting position and gently cradled Alfred’s head in his lap. The wheat blonde whimpered in protest of being moved, but calmed as Matthew’s slender fingers carded through his hair soothingly.

Mathias looked over to the smaller man with weary eyes. He gave a heavy sigh before striding forward and seating himself cross legged on the floor in front of the brothers. He placed his elbow on his knee he propped his head in his hand.

“So where do you want me to start?”

“How about with who exactly that magic wielding prick is?” Matthew said tersely.

“Like be careful, cutie. That’s Mat’s mate you’re like talking about,” Feliks said teasingly as he flounced over to the group and sat himself beside Matthew.

“What?!” the lemon blonde exclaimed turning incredulous eyes upon the flamboyant male.

"Oh it's like totally true and like so totally, romantically tragic," the green eyed male said dramatically draped the back of his hand over his eyes.

“He’s being overly dramatic,” Roderich interjected as he too joined the group choosing to sit on a footstool rather than the floor.

“I like am not,” the effeminate man whined as he dropped his hand to give the brunette a pouty glare.

“This is Mathias’ story to tell, Feliks. It doesn’t need all your embellishment,” the violet eyed man said ignoring the smaller man in favor of picking non-existent lint off of his shirt sleeve.

“Like whatever. Go on and tell them Mat,” Feliks said with a huff crossing his arms over his chest petulantly and mumbling about ‘up tight dragon jerks’.

Mathias, who had been uncharacteristically quiet this whole time, gave a small chuckle.

“He makes it sound more interesting than it is,” he said rubbing the back of his neck with a slight blush. “Lukas is my mate and a wizard if you hadn’t guessed,”

“The purple coil around your neck was kind of a dead give away,” Matthew commented as a small, amused smile crossed his lips as he recalled Arthur doing something similar to Alfred when they had first met.

“Yeah, he has a talent for taming us magical creatures, my Lukas does,” the spiky blonde said with a fond smile before it fell away into a deep frown. “Things weren’t always like this,”

The larger man’s hands curled into tight fists and Matthew could tell that the other man was barely containing his rage.

“We all were so happy living together. Me and my brother, Berwald and his mate Tino. Lukas and his little brother , Emil. We lived in a very large cave in the mountain range that forms a barrier between Ailateh and Nordlin. Everything was so peaceful and we were content,”

Here the blue eyed blonde trailed off and his eyes glazed over as he became lost in a memory. A wistful smile graced his lips and the lemon blonde couldn’t help smiling as well. He looked down at Alfred and marveled at how similar their lives were to Mathias’ own.  They were living peacefully with their own family until Lukas had aided in their capture. So what had happened to make the violet eyed wizard do these horrible things?

“Mathias,” the periwinkle eyed man said snapping his companion out of his reverie. “What happened to Lukas? Why is he helping the Dragon Lord?”

A deep scowl furrowed the larger man’s handsome features and the line of his jaw hardened as his teeth clenched angrily.

“The Dragon Lord. That bastard,” Mathias spat out with such acidity it was surprising it didn’t melt his lips. “Berwald, Tino, and I had decided to go for some supplies. Normally, we all would have gone together, but Emil was not feeling well that day. Lukas chose to stay behind and care for him,”

Suddenly, the blue eyed blonde shot to his feet and aggressively began pacing.

“I knew I should have stayed behind. I had this feeling that something wasn’t right. If I’d stayed they wouldn’t have taken Lukas by surprise and gotten their hands on Emil,”

A fire burst to life in Matthew’s eyes as, suddenly, everything made complete sense. The Dragon Lord had attacked when Lukas vulnerable and taken his brother as a means of coercion.

“That son of a bitch,” Matthew swore and unconsciously curled slightly over Alfred’s still recovering body protectively.

“You can say that again,” the spiky haired blonde said with a disdainful chuckle. “When we got back they both were gone without a trace,”

“So how did you wind up here?” the purple eyed man asked. The bigger man stopped his pacing to look down at his companion.

“Lukas and I are bonded. I simply ‘felt’ for him and that ‘feeling’ led me straight to him,” Mathias replied casually with a goofy grin.

Understanding filled each pair of eyes that were present. They all at one point and time had felt that ‘pull’ toward the one they were bonded to. Even now they could each feel the tug of an invisible string urging them to seek their other half.

“So when Al called on his magic what happened? Why was he in pain?” Matthew asked as he looked down at his brother who now seemed to have fallen into a peaceful, painless slumber.

“Do you see a mark behind his left ear?” Mathias queried. The lemon blonde brushed back his brother’s hair and did in fact find an odd symbol there. Purple eyes looked up questioningly.

“That is a bindrune that is barring all of you from calling on your magic. It’s almost completely separated you from your dragon selves,” the blue eyed male explained as the lemon blonde’s eyes widened in horror.

“That’s how he intends to control us? By separating us from our dragon selves? Does that bastard not know that doing so could kill us?” the wavy haired blonde exclaimed.

“Oh, he knows, but doesn’t care,” Roderich said with a disdainful sniff. Matthew could tears forming in his eyes as he hung his head in defeat.

“Oh, like don’t despair cutie. Lukas like has a plan to get us out of this,” Feliks said wrapping a comforting arm around the other blonde.

“Really?” the pregnant male asked pitifully.

“Yeah, and like we have an ace up our sleeve too,” the green eyed blonde said looking toward Mathias. Curious periwinkle eyes looked up at the large blonde who was grinning like a fool. He knelt down and turned his head to show his companion the area behind his left ear. A victorious smile spread on Matthew’s face as he found that Mathias lacked the bindrune they all bore.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Happy 2015 my dearest readers! I hope you all are well and are ready for another installment of 'Rescuing'. We have some progression in this chapter, but sadly no dragons. I feel like there will be 4-6 more chapters for this story, plus a bonus side story chapter. So we have that to look forward to. Also, people keep asking "Where are Tino and Ber?". My response "Patients, younglings. All will be revealed in due time,". Well let's get to it!
> 
> I do not own Hetalia. (As much as I wish I did)

"I don't like this. I don't like this at all," Gilbert groused for what seemed like the thousandth time as he walked alongside his brother in-law. The silver haired knight had been in a rather foul humor since the group had set out on their journey together. Frankly, it was getting on the wizard’s last nerve.

After a rather tense discussion following the quartets little scuffle they (more accurately Arthur and Toris since the other two found it more amusing to verbally spar with each other) had decided that the werewolves would start tracking Alfred and Matthew’s scent since it was found to be fresher than that of Roderich and Feliks. That had been nearly a fortnight ago.

"Your complaints have been duly noted and dismissed. Now please do shut up," Arthur snarked with a roll of his green eyes. He could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. Again.

"I don't understand how you are being so calm about all this," the albino said gesturing to the downward sloping mountain path ahead of them as they followed behind the two large tawny wolves. They had been travelling steadily northward and now found themselves crossing into Nordlin; The wintery region on the other side of the mountains running along the border of Ailateh.

"For all you know they are leading us into a trap," Garnet eyes fixated on the smaller wolf in a fierce, distrustful glower.

"Oh, I am fully aware that that is a possibility. However, I doubt it to be the case," the sandy blonde said with a small shrug of his shoulders. He had to admit he’d had his initial doubts about joining forces with the werewolves. One can never be too careful. Yet, with his magic failing him he had to find another way to track their loved ones.

"And why is that?" The silver haired man queried turning questioning eyes on his companion.

"Werewolves are known to be loyal, honorable creatures. They are also fiercely protective of their mates, pack, and young. I doubt these two would be entangled in something that separated mates,” the wizard explained in hopes of pacifying his friend. “That and Toris showed me the mated mark on his hip. So I know that he isn't lying,"

The larger man hummed thoughtfully but then seemed to draw in on himself. Worry danced in his ruby eyes and the viridian eyed man knew what he was thinking about. It was getting ever nearer to the time that Matthew was due to have his baby. If Arthur were in Gilbert’s position he would be in an utter frenzy to reach his mate.

"Don't worry lad. We'll have our dragons back before you know it," the smaller man said as he fisted his hand and green flames engulfed it. "And then the real fun will begin,"

Gilbert's eyes widened slightly at the manic, gleeful look that came over Arthur's features.

"You are seriously twisted, Kirkland. You know that right?” the knight stated taking an unconscious step away from the smaller man.

“I told you I was a very bad man before Alfred,” the straw blonde said with a dark smirk before banishing the flame.

‘Note to self. NEVER get on this guys bad side,’ the silver haired man thought as they continued on in an awkward, yet amiable silence.

* * *

 

Lukas walked along the corridors of the castle at a casual amble. He had been summoned, yet again, to the throne room by the Dragon Master sometime ago and was in no rush to see the man. The pale blonde scoffed at the title the scum had given himself. The pretentious bastard was master of nothing. The only reason he had control over the dragons they held captive was because he held sway over the wizard. Anger swelled in the violet eyed man’s chest at the mere thought that his beloved brother was being used as a shield by that coward. That problem, however, would soon be rectified and that thought brought a wicked glimmer to his eyes.

As he approached his destination the doors of the throne room were pulled open by a pair of guards and he entered at a leisurely pace. While his facial features remained completely stoic his violet eyes became cold with unrestrained hatred.

There sitting on his gilded throne was the Dragon Master. He had dark ebony hair with a matching long beard that covered much of his comely features. His frame was exceptionally large both in width and height. He easily dwarfed the wizard and most of those in his realm. The egotistical prick often claimed that his family was descended from the ice giants of legend. That tall tale made Lukas want to laugh. He had met an ice giant once and there was no way this man could be their descendant.

A scowl fixed itself onto the large man’s features as the smaller man approached him.

“You were summoned an hour ago, wizard. You know I hate to be kept waiting,” the dark haired man growled as his eyes, so ice blue they were nearly white, fixed so heatedly on the blonde that it would have made a weaker man cower. Lukas didn’t even so much as flinch.

“Why have you called for me? I was in the middle of locating another dragon for your collection,” the amethyst eyed male lied his features fixed into a mask of boredom giving merit to his words. In actuality the magic caster had been in a meeting with one of his informants regarding the location of his brother.

Irritation flashed in the lord’s cold eyes and he murmured almost inaudibly about ‘teaching lessons to impudent wizards’. The pale blonde mentally patted himself on the back for causing this man even a little bit of distress. That should teach him that Lukas was not to be trifled with. Recovering from his irritation the Dragon Lord again fixed his full attention on the man before him.

“I have been informed that four travelers have crossed into Nordlin from the mountain pass,” the large man stated simply as his manner shifted to be more casual though the hard glint in his eyes never dissipated.

“And the movement of travelers concerns me why? They are most likely merchants,” Lukas said flatly and his features remained impassive though internally he fumed about having to see the man he despised over something so trivial.

“They carry no goods so they are not merchants,” the pale eyed man said as he leaned forward placing his elbows on his knees and interlacing his fingers. “It appears they have two werewolves and a wizard in their party. They also seem to be making their way to my castle,”  

Now the smaller man’s interest had been piqued, but he could not give himself away.

"You have nothing to fear. My shields and wards will prevent anyone from entering even other wizards. Have they not done so thus far?" Lukas queried as he feigned picking lint from his shirt sleeve. Though once he returned to his own chambers he would have one of his own spies look into these travelers. There were only so many wizards in these lands and he hoped this one was the one spell caster that he knew would be of great help to him.

“They have, but I’m sure that recasting them could do no harm,” the massive brute said lazily as he leaned back into his throne with a smirk. A small glare was sent toward the lord before the petite male spun on his heels and made to leave the room knowing full well he had not been dismissed.

“I will see to it at this very moment,” the pale blonde called over his shoulder as he made his exit with aggravation evident in his tone.

“Lukas, one more thing,” the Dragon Master called after his less than obedient servant. The wizard paused at the door glancing back toward the throne and raised a questioning brow. A wicked smile spread across the large man’s face.

“Have you found a way for my little pregnant charge to deliver his child without aid of his dragon side?”

A heavy weight settled into the pit of Lukas’ stomach as he observed the malicious gleam in those too pale eyes.

“No,” he responded and swallowed thickly around the lump of dread lodged in his throat.

“Pity,” the dark haired man said with false concern in his voice. “I do hope you find something soon. I was told that he seems about to deliver any day now and I would hate to have to resort to the...alternatives,”

Seething with rage the pale blonde could do nothing, but give a curt nod before storming out of the room.

“I swear on all the magic in the world,” the violet eyed male growled softly as a deep purple aura consumed his form and morphed into a pseudo armor of flame. “I will personally kill that monster,”

* * *

 

“Bloody Hell, how do these barbarians manage to survive in this freezing climate?” Arthur griped as he tugged his cloak more snuggly around his trembling form. Ever since they had crossed into the land of Nordlin the temperature had seemed to drop further and further. Needless to say so had the moods of the little rescue party.

“Quiet your incessant whining you irritating little man. It isn’t that cold,” Elizaveta barked out as she marched along the forest trail at the head of their group clad in deer skin pants, boots, and long sleeved tunic seeming to be completely unfazed by the declining temperature.

“Eliza, not all of us here are werewolves. We tend to have an internal temperature much higher than most creatures. What feels brisk to us maybe freezing to them,” Toris interjected in an attempt to quell what was obviously turning into another argument.

“That’s right, Toris. Be a good little lap dog and defend the humans. Gods forbid you show loyalty to your own kind and pack,” the green eyed woman snapped irritably and failed to notice the hurt look in her companions eyes.

“That was uncalled for you vile witch. He was just trying to be kind and prevent yet another fight,” Gilbert retorted glaring daggers at the woman’s back as he too pulled his cloak more firmly around himself.

The brunette woman rounded savagely on the group teeth bared. She opened her mouth to fire off an angry comeback, but froze when a small fireball exploded at her feet. Three pairs of bewildered eyes turned and focused on the blonde wizard who stood glaring venomously.

“We are all cold, tired, and hungry which is causing us to have short tempers. I suggest we pause here for a short rest before we continue onward. Maybe after a meal we can all be more civil toward each other,” the viridian eyed male stated as he moved into a clearing where he found a fallen tree to sit upon.

Wordlessly Gilbert and Toris followed Arthur’s lead. This left Elizaveta glowering at the three men and an almost inaudible growl rumbled in her throat.

“I’ll scout ahead and see if I find anything. I’ll use the normal signal, Toris,” the she-wolf said before disappearing behind a tree. Minutes later a pained grunt was heard followed shortly by the appearance of a tawny, green eyed wolf. Without so much as a backwards glance the canine slipped off down the trail.

“I’ll fetch her things,” the brunette man said with a weary sigh as he rose to make his way to the tree the woman had been behind.

“What is her problem anyway? I mean why is she so combative?” the knight queried as he moved about the clearing to gather wood for a small fire.

“I don’t know, Gil, but we should do our best not to antagonize her further,” Arthur said as he shifted his pack off his shoulder and fished inside for some of the food he had packed.

“It’s kind of hard not to antagonize her when literally everything sets her off,” the albino scoffed as he deposited his findings near the log and began digging a small pit for the fire.

“I apologize for her actions, but she does have a good reason,” Toris said as he returned to the small group. His eyes were filled with a mixture of pity, grief, and empathy.

“I am guessing there is more to her story than just having her mate taken?” the straw blonde questioned as he set aside his pack to focus on the other man. Gilbert also stopped digging to listen to what the tawny haired man had to say.

“It is not really my place to tell her story, but she is far too proud to tell you herself,” he paused and took a deep breath. “Elizaveta is one of the best warriors in our pack. Thusly, she has been in many battles for territory. Sadly, in one of those skirmishes she took a blow to her lower abdomen that left her barren,”

Both Arthur and Gilbert couldn’t help flinching at that bit of information seeing as they both had been blessed (well nearly so for the albino) with children.

“She had convinced herself that no one would want a barren mate and resigned herself to being alone until the end of her days. Then she met Roderich and he accepted her for who she was completely. Soon after their mating a young she-wolf in our pack died in childbirth. Elizaveta instantly adopted the orphaned pup even though the poor thing was ever so sickly. He was the sweetest child,”

Here the brunette man paused again to take a steadying breath. It was clear that this story did not have a happy ending by the grief that was evident in his blue eyes.

“When Roderich was taken he had been home caring for their boy, who had fallen gravely ill with a fever. They lived in a cave near the pack territory, but just enough away to make the pack comfortable. Not many cared to have a dragon within the pack. Elizaveta returned home after a council meeting to find...to find…” Toris broke off as a sob escaped his lips.

“It is all right, lad,” Arthur said as he moved to stand with the brunette and patted his arm comfortingly. “You don’t have to continue,”

“N-no, no. I’m fine,” the blue eyed werewolf said as he composed himself. “She came home to find her mate gone and her s-son had collapsed at the mouth of the cave. That brave, foolish little boy had tried to save his father even though he was so very ill. He took his final breath wrapped in his mother’s arms,”

A sudden enraged roar rang out in the clearing as Gilbert violently punched the soft earth beneath him.

“Those bastards,”the knight growled as he pushed up to his feet. “I swear once we find the people who have caused all this tragedy I will end them all,”

Suddenly, a long deep howl resounded through the forest instantly drawing the attention of the three men.

“That’s the signal. Elizaveta must have found something,” Toris said as without hesitation he dashed off in the direction of the call with the wizard and knight following right on his heels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Okay, I really do not know where the Hell that whole back story for Eliza came from, but it really explains what is up with her. Sorry for any feels it may have caused. Okay so next chapter guys is gonna be action packed. Plus, since you have asked for it and have been so patient I'll give you a little spoiler: Romania shows up next chapter! I can hear the fan squeals now. I'll see you next time, babes!


	6. Chapter 6

Moving swiftly through the dense forest the three men followed the sound of the howls to the base of a massive hill. There they found the tawny she wolf pacing back and forth anxiously. Her pointed ears shot upward at the sound of her companions approach and she turned to face them. Toris quickly moved toward the smaller wolf and threw his cloak over her frame.

"What is it, Eliza? What have you found?" The brunette asked keenly as pained growls emitted from beneath the cloak. Several minutes later a head of wavy brown haired poked out from beneath the cloak and wide green eyes focused on the male brunette.

“They’re here, Toris. In this hill. I can smell them,” Elizaveta said with barely contained joy lacing each word. Three pairs of eyes looked at the woman as if she had lost her sanity.

“They’re IN the hill?” Gilbert asked incredulously and put extra emphasis on the word ‘in’.

“Yes! Haven’t you all noticed yet?” the tawny haired woman asked expectantly, but only further confused her companions.

“Noticed what exactly?” the blue eyed male queried a bit hesitantly as his pack mates eyes, that still focused on him, became steely.

“Your mated marks, you idiots. Hasn’t the aching lessened?” the green eyed woman stated exasperatedly as she rose to her feet making sure the cloak stayed wrapped closely to her frame.

Sudden realization lit up three pairs of eyes as each man looked from one to the other. All of their marks had been aching from the moment they had found their mates missing. It had grown worse over time, but they had all ignored the pain in order to focus on the more important task of finding the ones they loved. Now though, as they stood near this hill, they found that the constant throbbing had lessened into a simple irritant.

“What the Hell are we doing standing here? Our mates are in this hill somewhere. Let’s find a way in and get them back,” Gilbert said as he rushed toward the rising mound.

“No! Wait!” Elizaveta called out, but sadly it was too late. Just as the albino reached the inclining earth he was sent sailing backward by an unseen force. The silver haired man landed harshly on his back and all the air was forced from his lungs. The two wolves quickly moved to the fallen man’s side.

“Are you all right?” Toris asked worriedly as he knelt and helped the other man into a sitting position.

“I tried to warn you,” the brunette woman said nonchalantly and received an aggravated glare from the knight as he gulped in big mouth fulls of air.

“Interesting,” Arthur said casually and all eyes turned attentively to him. The wizard had his arms stretched out in front of him and cautiously approached the hill. His green eyes glowed eerily as his magic infused his sight.

He came up short when his hands pressed into an invisible solid mass. As his hands and eyes roved over the translucent barrier flashes and sparks of purple magic came into focus.

“Oh, you brilliant, sneaky bastard. You contacted that blood sucking git for some help it would seem,” the blonde said as an irritated yet amused smirk turned up the corners of his lips.

“What are you on about, Eyebrows?” Gilbert asked as he rubbed at his sore chest, but was simply ignored as Arthur began digging in his cloak pockets while muttering to himself. The three companions exchanged curious, questioning glances before their attention was once again drawn to the possibly deranged wizard.

“Ah ha! There you are, you little bugger,” the peridot eyed man exclaimed as he withdrew something from his cloak. The three travelers, after rising to their feet, watched curiously as the blonde wizard held a brass hand mirror in front of him and began tracing patterns on its smooth surface while murmuring in a language none of them knew.

The two werewolves and knight slowly walked up behind their companion and watched over his shoulder as the clear glass of the mirror slowly became murky.

“What is he doing?” Elizaveta asked furrowing her brow.

“Don’t know, but I’d keep quiet. He gets kind of pissy if he loses his concentration,” the albino supplied and shot a warning glance at the woman beside him.

Slowly, the cloudiness of the mirror faded and the image of a man filled the frame. His hair was a dark strawberry blonde and a small hat sat slightly off to one side of his head. He was devastatingly handsome with pale porcelain skin, burning red eyes, and the tip of a fang snuck out over his bottom lip. As he took in the sight before him his vermilion eyes lit up with mischief and his lips turned up in a little smirk.

“Arthur, my succulent little friend. To what do I own the pleasure of you contacting me?” the man teasingly queried his voice thick with an unknown accent.

“Enough with the niceties Vlad. Tell me how to get through the wards and shields,” Arthur said flatly as he fixed the ruddy blonde with a scowl.

“Oh, what shields and wards are you talking about my little crumpet?” the fanged man, Vlad, asked innocently but the playfulness of his features belied his words.

“You bloody well know what I’m talking about. Give me the counterspells to the ones you gave to Lukas,” the straw blonde growled angrily as his patience was running thin.

“Ah! Those spells. Now I see,” the red eyed male said with a little giggle. “I’ll only give them to you if you apologize for what happened the last time we saw each other,”

“A-apolo-gize?! ME apologize to YOU? You…”

“What happened when you last saw each other?” Toris suddenly asked and immediately clamped a hand over his mouth regretting he had said anything when Arthur’s cold green eyes fixed on him angrily.

“This blood sucking brute attacked and then drank from me!” the wizard exclaimed completely incensed.

“I was starving and I didn’t even bite you,” Vlad said with slight indignation in his voice.

“No! You bloody slashed open my shoulder and latched on like a damn leach,” the sandy blonde said scathingly as he rounded on the mirror and scowled with all the malice he had in his body.

“Didn’t mean you had to punch me after I finished,” the strawberry blonde pouted. The viridian eyed blonde opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by the sudden intervention of Elizaveta.

“Enough,” she pointed commandingly at the mirror. “You apologize for drinking from Arthur,”

“Take that you...” the wizard started, but was cut off again as the brunette turned her attention to him.

“And you apologize for punching him so we can damn well get what we need,” she growled viciously with a scowl that dared anyone to defy her.

The two magic users glared unwaveringly at each other for several moments before a weary sigh escaped Arthur.

“I’m sorry for punching you, you bloody leach,” the straw blonde grumbled feeling the deep wound inflicted on his pride.

“And I’m sorry for making an unwilling meal of you. Even though  was on the verge of starvation and  you were exceptionally tasty,” the fanged male said as a wistful look crossed his face and he absently licked his lips. Anger flashed in the sandy blonde’s green eyes as his lips parted to verbally accost the image in the mirror, but he was silenced by a glare from his female companion.

A soft chuckle was heard from the vampire as he hid a grin behind his hand.

“Well now that we are once again the best of friends let me give you that counterspell,” Vlad said before he lapsed to speaking in a language that only Arthur understood. The blonde gave small nods of understanding and clipped responses in the same tongue.

Irritated glares were shot at the back of the blonde wizard’s head from both Elizaveta and Gilbert. Neither was too keen on being excluded from the conversation and left in the dark about what was going on. Just as they both hit the point of throttling the green eyed man the discussion seemed to come to an end.

“You have my thanks, Vlad,” Arthur said with barely a hint of venom to his words.

“You are welcome,” Vlad replied simply as his image began to fade. “Oh, by the way, my little pastry. It wounds me greatly that you didn’t invite me to meet your mate and child,”

The straw blonde’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Who told you I had a mate and child?”

“I recently made the acquaintance of a former knight who had the most adorable half dragon in his care. It took all my self control not to gobble her right up,” the vampire gushed as a devilish smirk turned up his lips and showed off his fangs as the image continued to deteriorate.

“You son of a bitch! Don’t you get any ideas about making a meal of my daughter. If I find one mark on her I will rip your fangs out and wear them as a trophy,” the viridian eyed male spat angrily at the mirror.

“I’d like to see you try, Blondie. Bye Arthur,” the strawberry blonde crooned as his image finally faded away.

Arthur sputtered furiously at the mirror and raised the poor, defenseless object into the air with the intent of sending sailing. He paused at the top of his arch and thought better of his actions. The mirror was not the villain here. He would have to make do with cursing the vampire’s mother until the next time they saw each other. Then he’d have the satisfaction of punching the bastard in his devastatingly beautiful face. Maybe he would only take one fang. He isn’t a completely heartless monster.

“So now that you’re done having social hour. What do we need to do to get to our mates?” Gilbert questioned as the wizard tucked his mirror back into his cloak and shot the albino an irritated glare.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Toris piped in his blue eyes shining with hope and determination. The straw blonde gave him a small smile.

“Yes, I’ll need you all to stand back and keep as quiet as possible. My forte is active magic so I need to concentrate much more with this kind of subtle magic,”

The brunette male nodded and moved to do as he was asked. However, this plan did not please everyone.

“This is a load of tripe. I don’t want to sit by passively while you do whatever it is you’re going to do,” Elizaveta griped as she narrowed her green eyes aggravatedly.

“Well that is a tragedy because there is nothing for you to do. Now hush and let me do what I need to do,” Arthur said tersely as he moved to stand before the barrier. He had barely taken two steps when an arrow suddenly lodged itself into the earth directly in front of him.

“I would advise you to stay exactly where you are,” a gentle, yet commanding voice rang out seeming to come from all directions.

Instantly, the quartet was on the defensive. Gilbert and Toris drew their swords as their eyes darted about for the source of the attack. Elizaveta crouched slightly and growled aggressively as she prepared to shift form.

“And why should I listen to a coward who attacks from the shadows?” the wizard taunted as his magic whips appeared in his hands.

“Mind your tongue, spell caster. Lest you wish to find one of my arrows embedded in your skull,” the disembodied voice called again as the sound of soft footsteps came from the treeline.

A lone figure slowly appeared from the cover of the foliage. He was of average height with a lean muscular build. A bow was held firmly in his hand with an arrow notched and aimed directly at Arthur. He wore white doe skin boots, pants, and tunic. Atop his short blonde hair sat a small white cap that sloped to one side revealing his pointed ears. His violet eyes were solely focused and narrowed on the wizard as he approached.

Arthur couldn’t help the look of shock that crossed his features as the other approached him. What was an elf doing here and aiding these villains of all things? Just as the sandy blonde was going to ask this very question another figure appeared from the forest on the other side of the group.

He was an exceptionally tall man with a solid build. He too was clad in deerskin, but his attire was tan. Blonde hair crowned a head that held a pair of intense cobalt blue eyes that seemed to be stuck in an intimidating scowl. He slowly approached Gilbert and Toris making the pair shift to face him with swords at the ready.

“Two against four doesn’t seem very fair,” the knight called out tauntingly as he felt his body prepare for a fight.

“I apologize for catching you at a disadvantage,” the elf replied as he now stood a few yards from Arthur. “Tell me wizard would you happen to be Arthur Kirkland?”

The emerald eyed man arched one massive brow quizzically.

“And if I am?”

“Then I have a message for you from Lukas,” the purple eyed blonde said simply as his stance relaxed ever so slightly. “He says be patient you idiot. I have a plan. When the barrier falls unleash your Hellfire on this foul place,”

The spell caster’s eyes widened marginally before narrowing devilishly and an evil smirk graced his features.

“Oh, that brilliant, ingenious son of a bitch,” a dark chuckle escaped his lips as he let his magic dissipate. “Stand down my friends we are among allies,”

Three pairs of questioning eyes focused on the straw blonde.

“You sure about that, Art?” the vermilion eyed man called out as his focus returned to the massive blonde before him.

“Yes, you git. Now let’s...GAH!” the simultaneous cry of pain from both Arthur and Gilbert threw all gathered into a panic.

“Ber, help him!” the elf cried out as he dropped his bow and shot forward to help the fallen man clutching at his chest.

Toris had instantly dropped his sword to catch his pained comrade as the pale man crumpled to his knees and held fast to his shoulder.  

“What’s wrong?” the cobalt eyed man, Ber, asked as he crouched next to the knight.

“M-Mattie…” Gilbert managed to pant out as he hissed and writhed in searing pain.

“Your mate?” Elizaveta asked as she joined the group.

“He’ssss...in...p-pain…” the edges of red eyed man’s vision began to darken as he fought threw the pain.

“Something is wrong. Alfred is in an utter panic,” Arthur stated as he struggled to rise to his feet. He needed to get to his brother in-law to help the man.

Thankfully, the elf seemed to understand his actions and helped support the aching wizard.

“What do we do, Arthur? If something is happening to your mates what about Feliks and Roderich?” Toris asked anxiously as the group now all stood together.

“We have no choice, but to wait for Lukas. He is our only hope at the moment,” the sandy blonde said as he looked toward the hill, that he knew was no hill, with eyes full of concern and untempered rage.

* * *

 

“Alfie...Alfie…” Matthew whimpered tears streaming down his face as he desperately shook his brother’s slumbering shoulder.

“Hm...Waz wrong, Mattie?” Alfred asked with a tired grunt as he slowly pulled himself free of sleeps grasp.

“It...hurts…” the lemon blonde said around a sob as he curled in on himself as another wave of pain racked his body.

Hearing the distress in his sibling’s voice woke the cerulean eyed man instantly. He bolted upright and turned anxiously toward the other man that he shared a bed with.

Matthew lay curled into a tight ball around his abdomen and his lovely face was contorted into a grimace of total agony. Realization lit up the ash blonde’s eyes and panic filled his chest.

“Shit, Matt! You’re in labor!” the tan man exclaimed as his hands hovered over his brother not really certain what to do in his worry.

“No...shit…” the pregnant male managed to say as his violet eyes open marginally to glower at his brother. “What...do...I...do? It...hurts...so...much…”

Sudden clarity overtook Alfred and his nerves instantly calmed. Now was not the time to lose it. Mattie needed him to be his hero and damn it he was not going to fail his brother. He reflected back on his own labor and remembered how his dragon magic had helped his body adjust so he could deliver the baby. That was when he remembered that neither of them could use their magic.

“Mattie,” Alfred said gently as he carded his fingers through his sibling’s hair soothingly. “I’m gonna go find Lukas so he can help. I’ll be right back okay?”

Periwinkle eyes looked up at him in utter horror.

“P-please d-don’t le-eave,” Matthew whimpered as his hand went up to grasp at the one carding through his hair. It broke Alfred’s heart to see his brother like this.

“All right, Matt. I’ll stay, but at least let me see if I can send somebody for Lukas. I’ll be right back,” the honey blonde said sweetly as he pulled his hand from his sibling’s and climbed of the bed. The wavy haired blonde made a small noise of protest, but fell silent as more pain coursed through his frame.

Moving swiftly Alfred made his way to the door and threw it open. Stepping into the hall his blue eyes darted up and down it’s length searching out anyone he could find. Near the left end of the hall the tan male spotted a maid he had seen several times and rushed frantically toward her.

“Hey there. I need you to do me a huge favor. My brother has gone into labor and I need Lukas here like yesterday. Could you go find him for me and send him my way, please?” Alfred said rapidly as his hands firmly grasped the girl’s shoulders. She had been surprised by the sudden actions, but as she listened to the anxious man she visibly relaxed.

“I’ll see what I can do,” the maid said hoping that she would be freed from the large man’s hold. Cerulean eyes shone brilliantly and he flashed the smaller woman a bright smile.

“Thank you,” he chirped before spinning on his heels to rush back to Matthew.

* * *

 

“This is so awesome that we finally found where they’ve been keeping Emil. I can’t wait to start cracking some skulls to get out of this place,” Mathias said excitedly as he and Lukas walked along the hall of the ‘Dragon wing’. The usually stoic man couldn’t help the tiniest hint of a smile that pulled at his lips.

The pair had just left his room where they had been meeting with one of his informants and had received the news that his brother had been constantly moved within the castle to keep Lukas from finding him. They had been given the next location the teen would be in and were now on their way to plan a strategy with the others.

The thought of finally being free of that arrogant bastard who called himself king was a treat sweeter than any dessert. The pale blonde was enjoying the fantasy of stringing the large man up when the frantic calls of another caught his attention.

Snapping back to reality violet eyes focused on the distraught form of Alfred that barreled toward him.

“Lukas!” the ash blonde cried with anguish lacing his voice as tan hands clutched at the smaller man’s shirt front.

“Alfred, buddy, what’s wrong?” Mathias questioned as he took in the slightly smaller man’s disheveled form.

“You have to come with me. Mattie needs help. They locked me out,” cerulean eyes were frantic as the words tumbled from Alfred’s mouth disjointedly.

“Alfred, you need to calm down and explain what is going on. Why does Matthew need help? Who locked you out of where?” Lukas said coolly as he tried to pry the larger man’s hand’s from his shirt.

“There’s no time!” Alfred shouted as he released Lukas’ shirt and grabbed his wrist before tugging in the direction he had come.

“Alfred, dude, could you not man handle my mate and just tell us what is going on,” Mathias said with an edge to his words and blue eyes narrowed with anger. The wheat blonde shot an irritated look over his shoulder at the bigger man and gave an exasperated sigh.

“Matt’s in labor. I sent a maid to find you to help, but some other creep with a bag shows up. He tells some guards to throw me out and keep me out. Then I hear him through the door say something about holding Mattie down so he can CUT THE BABY OUT and that’s when I came to find you. WE HAVE TO HELP HIM!” the tan man shouted his voice filled to bursting with panic.

“WHAT?!” Lukas bellowed as his face twisted into an uncharacteristic look of shock. Jerking his wrist free of the other male the petite man dropped into a dead sprint. “Mathias with me,”

Not needing to be told twice, Mathias dashed after his mate and easily caught up with him taking note that Alfred was right on their heels.

“So what’s the plan?” the spiky haired blonde asked as a vicious gleam filled his eyes.

“First, we secure Matthew and make sure he and the baby are safe. Then we get Emil,” the pale blonde said as his violet eyes turned cold as a tundra. A maliciously, evil grin slowly turned up the corners of the taller man’s lips.

“And then?”

“Then we rain destruction down on these bastards,” the wizard said so coldly that one could almost see the words freeze in the air. “This ends today,”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Okay please don't kill me for being SO mean to Mattie. It had to happen. There will be more explanation about him coming up. Oh look SuFin! I knew some of you were wondering where they were. Sorry if y'all wanted more Romania than I gave. Worry not. He shows up in another chapter and plays a BIG part. I should stop before I give away any spoilers. Oh and ain't Artie great at holding a grudge? Suck your friends blood once and they never let you live it down. K, think I covered everything. I'll try and have a post up sooner than this last time. Ciao!


	7. Chapter 7

As the trio approached the room holding their friend Lukas fell back so that he was now beside Alfred. The smaller blonde reached up and placed his hand just behind the larger man’s left ear. Keeping contact was a bit difficult due to them being in motion, but he managed. After a few softly murmured words a tingling sensation moved from behind the blue eyed man’s ear and covered his entire body. He had regained his magic. The tan man gave an appreciative smile and received a curt nod in return.

“Mathias, could you get the door?” the violet eyed male called to his mate as his focus again fell forward and his pace quickened.

“I’m on it, babe,” the spiky haired blonde called back as their target came into sight. His form then sprouted leathery blue wings and a tail. Blue scales smattered across any exposed skin as his hands became claws and his eyes became reptilian. The door now loomed in front of him but his pace did not slow. Lifting his arms to protect his head the half-dragon crashed through the wooden portal as if it were tissue paper.

When asked later what happened in those moments following the trio’s arrival to the room Matthew was held in Alfred would simply respond that all he remembered was the color red. He had seen his brother laying unconscious on the bed with his abdomen cut open like a slaughtered pig. A tiny newborn was being pulled from the wound and that was when the world faded away to crimson.

When next the wheat blonde was again in control of his faculties he found he had shifted into his half form and was curled around a squalling baby firmly held to his chest as he sat crouched in a corner. His cerulean eyes slowly scanned the room. He fought back a small wave of nausea at the gore that covered the floor and walls before his sight fell upon the four-post bed to his right.

Lukas knelt on the bed with one hand just behind Matthew’s left ear and the other hovering over his stomach. The pale blonde was speaking rapidly in a strange tongue and intense purple light enveloped both men. Alfred was a bit surprised to find that the gaping hole that had been in his brother’s mid-section was now closed.

The azure eyed male jumped when a gentle hand fell on his shoulder. He turned his head and was greeted by a worried looking Feliks.

“We should like get the baby cleaned up and like swaddled, don’t you think?” the green eyed man said gently as he cautiously reached out for the tiny figure. Eyes shifting to look down at the now snuffling babe he could see the poor thing was still covered in blood and mucus.

With a small nod the larger half-dragon allowed the smaller man to reluctantly take the baby from him. The smaller blonde gave the larger blonde a reassuring smile before moving off to tend to his new charge.

The half-dragon’s eyes then traveled wearily back over to the bed. The purple light had faded away and the exhausted looking wizard now sat slightly hunched over the unconscious man he had been helping.

Apprehensively, Alfred straightened and approached the bed.

"Is he gonna be okay?" The honey blonde asked as he looked at his brother’s ashen face. If he hadn't known otherwise the blue eyed male would have simply thought his sibling was in a deep slumber. Lukas’ head shot up in surprise at the sound of Alfred’s voice. Concerned purple eyes locked momentarily with equally worried blue before dropping back to Matthew.

“I barely made it to him in time. I’ve managed to heal his wounds and released most of his magic. Just enough so that his dragon half can help him heal, but I can’t understand why he hasn’t awakened,” the pale blonde said tersely, his voice full of emotions too numerous to name.

A wave of despair swept over the blue scaled man as he sank to his knees by the bedside. He reached out and affectionately caressed his brother’s hair. What would he do if Mattie never woke up? Gilbert will be devastated and the baby…

Fiery rage consumed the dragon’s heart and his claws balled into fists.

“I’m going to kill that bastard,” Alfred growled as spirals of smoke seeped from the corners of his mouth through his clenched teeth.

“Get in line,” Mathias’ angered voice sounded from behind the tan male.

The azure eyed man lifted his head to look over his shoulder and found the three other dragons standing together behind him. All of them held countenances of seething hatred for the Dragon Lord and friendly concern for their unconscious comrade.

“Do not despair, Alfred. We will stand with you to see that justice is delivered for Matthew,” Roderich said proudly before shifting his gaze to Lukas. “What is the plan?”

All eyes now fell upon the wizard as he straightened his tired form.

“First, we secure Emil. Once we have him safely in hand I will drop the shields so that our reinforcements can come to our aid. Then we kill the source of all our suffering,” Lukas said flatly as his amethyst eyes became icy.

“What do we like do about Mattie and the baby. It would totally be like a bad idea to move him,” Feliks chimed in as he gently swayed with the now clean and slumbering babe.

A small pause drew silence over the room before Mathias spoke shooting his mate a questioning glance.

“Divide and conquer?”

“It’s our only option. Securing Emil might be easier if there are fewer people sulking about,” Lukas answered with a sigh as he climbed off the bed and moved toward Roderich and Feliks. Without preamble he reached up behind each of their left ears and recited the release spell. Thankful smiles crossed both males faces as they felt their magic return.

“All right so how are we going to split up?” Alfred asked as he reluctantly rose to his feet and joined the others.

“Mathias and I will retrieve Emil while the rest of you stay here to protect Matthew and the baby. Any objections?” the petite wizard asked and was met with silence. “Good. Barricade the door once we leave. If we are discovered you will be under siege almost immediately,”

With that the violet eyed man turned and moved determinedly toward the door. Mathias followed the silent command obediently and fell in step beside his lover quickly.

“You ready for this?” the blue eyed blonde asked as they stepped out into the corridor.

“From the moment he threatened my brother,” Lukas responded darkly.

* * *

 

After Lukas sent one of his fairy informants to update their comrades on the current situation the pair had struck out on their mission. The two blondes crept quietly along the corridors of the fortress until they reached the royal wing. With the information they had been given earlier they knew that Emil had been moved to a room next to the king’s own chambers. Lukas suspected that the bastard had become weary of the wizard’s attitude and didn’t want to chance any kind of insurrection. What was that old saying? Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.

They were deep in the heart of the enemies territory now and all their senses were on high alert. As the approached the end of the corridor the duo pressed against the wall and Mathias glanced quickly around the corner.

“This must be the place. There are two guards posted outside one of the doors. They’re about the same height and build. One is sporting an eye patch though,” the half-dragon whispered to his companion.

“We need to do this quietly,” the stoic male said as he searched his pockets and gave an encouraging hum when he found what he was searching for. A small brown poach was drawn from the confines of his clothing and a devious glint shown in his purple eyes. With a quick tug of the drawstring the bag opened. The pale man tilted the bag slightly and a small amount of white powder fell into his hand.

“Sleep dust?” the spiky haired blonde queried.

“I did say we needed to be quiet,” the smaller man responded with a glower before re-pocketing the bag and marched authoritatively toward the guards with his other hand tightly curled around the powder.  

Noting the approach of another person the guards shifted into a defensive posture.

“Who goes th...Oh, Master Wizard. What brings you here?” the one with the eye patch questioned relaxing slightly as the petite blonde approached.

“I was looking for the king,” Lukas lied easily as he set his features in a mask of indifference.

“He has not been in his chambers since this morning,” the second guard responded also falling into a more relaxed stance.

“I see. Why are you two here then? Surely he does not need two guards for an empty room. Especially one that is not his own,” the spellcaster asked in a not wholly innocent way.

“That is none of your concern,” Eye patch said coolly as his eyes shifted suspiciously and his stance became more offensive.

Gaining the unspoken confirmation he had been seeking Lukas shot into action. He inhaled deeply as his hand came up fast as lightening and opened to reveal it’s contents. He released his breath and the powder filled the air directly in the faces of the two guards.

Taken by surprise the two men choked and sputtered on the dust effectively drawing it into their lungs. The wizard had held his breath and moved back several steps as the others flailed about dumbly. Within moments the two guards slumped to the ground having lost consciousness.

By this point Mathias had joined his mate with a grin on his face.

“Have I told you how sexy you are when your being devious?” the larger male queried sultrily as he reached to draw the smaller man toward him.

“Could you please not be an idiot until after we have toppled that scumbag from his throne?” Lukas countered with an irritated sigh as he maneuvered out of his mate’s reach and made for the door the guards had watched over.

“I never get to have any fun,” the cobalt eyed man groused with a small pout as he followed his lover.

As soon as the pale blonde reached the chamber doors he grasped the doorknobs and through open the double doors. The sight that greeted his violet eyes brought a small smile to his face. Emil sat crossed legged on the massive four-post bed idly paging through a book with a look of utter boredom before his violet eyes glanced upward to see his brother.

“Took you long enough. I’ve been so bored,” the teen said casually as he closed his book and brushed his silvery blonde hair out of his eyes.

“Sorry, squirt. Took us a little while to figure out where they were hiding you,” Mathias said as he joined the others in the room.

“Whatever, can we just hurry up and get out of here?” the younger male asked as he shuffled off of the bed.

"Yes, we need to move quickly to rejoin our friends and then take out the Dragon Lord," Lukas said as he turned back toward the door only to be greeted with the sight of two new guards standing in the doorway.

For a moment everyone stood frozen in place as they stared dumbfounded at each other. The guard to the spell caster’s right was the first to react as he stepped back and bolted down the corridor. No doubt running off to raise an alarm.

“Well this is just perfect,” the violet eyed man muttered as he called up his magic and recited the spell to bring down the shield protecting the fortress.

* * *

 

“You okay now, Art?” Gilbert asked cautiously as he took hesitant steps toward his brother in-law who sat tethered to a tree after he had inexplicably turned violent. It had taken the combined strength of Berwald, their new dragon ally, and Toris to wrestle the wizard to the ground. Tino, the elf, had swiftly moved in and bound the green eyed male once he had been subdued.

“Yes, you insufferable twat. Now untie me,” Arthur growled as he tugged aggressively at his bonds and glowered at the albino.

“You sure? We still don’t understand why you snapped in the first place,” the red eyed male pressed.

“Someone apparently sent Alfred into a frenzy and that translated through our bond to me. He has calmed now, but I can still feel his anxiety,” the bushy browed man explained as he continued to tug at the rope that held him.The knight mulled this over for a moment before he moved to kneel behind his friend and released him.

“Well you do seem to be back to your usual level of aggressive,”

Viridian eyes glowered over the blonde’s shoulder at the larger man.

“You’re an arse,” Arthur groused as he massaged at his sore wrists.

“Yeah, yeah. Now come on. Tino apparently got a message from that Lukas guy,” Gilbert said with a dismissive wave of his hand and rose to his feet.

This news instantly peaked the straw blonde’s interest and he quickly rose to his feet to follow behind his brother in-law. Moments later they stood with their other comrades.

“All right we’re all here. Now tell us what is going on,” Elizaveta said anxiously as her peridot eyes bore into the petite elf.

“The message was very short. Lukas wanted us to know that all the dragons are safe and that things are progressing ahead of schedule. He tells me that the barrier will be coming down before the sunsets,” Tino said simply.

A small round of cheers rang out among the group as this news brought good tidings. Soon they would all be reunited with the one they loved most.

“We should prepare,” Berwald stated drawing everyone's attention. It was the most the intimidating man had said since they met.

“Ber is right. We should be ready to move at a moments…” the elf began but was cut off by the sudden intense purple glow that engulfed the hill. Slowly, cracks formed in the glow as if it were glass and began to fall away.

Realization, crashed into Arthur like a landslide and a wicked smile turned up his lips.

“Lukas is dropping the barrier,” the emerald eyed man said as he called his magic up and his whips appeared in his grip. “Take up arms my friends and release the dogs of war,”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hello dearests! Sorry this is a week late. My heat broke and we had a weeks worth of snow so I had to abandon my house and yeah. Also, had a con to go to. Got another one next weekend. Way too busy! Anyway, longer chapter is offered as peace offering. This chapter is super crazy too. So enjoy!
> 
> Own just the plot.

"Remind me to bite the wizard for that dog comment once all this is over," Elizaveta barked as the two werewolves ran side by side into the now visible fortress. Toris gave a short chuckling bark as he easily kept pace with the smaller wolf.

As soon as the barrier had begun to fall the small party had leapt into action. Tino had quickly notched his bow and called to Berwald to break down the doors of the citadel. The massive blonde gave a small nod of acknowledgment before bursting into flame and re-emerging as an enormous cobalt blue dragon.

While the great beast made short work of the wooden doors Gilbert and Arthur had charged forward with magic and sword at the ready. Elizaveta and Toris had with practiced swiftness removed their garments and shifted into the wolf forms.

With the opening now cleared for them, the six companions had made their way in to the large stronghold. The dragon had shifted into his half form and took his place next to Tino. As soon as they passed through the now ruined fortress doors they were instantly they were set upon by guards and separated from each other.

From years of fighting and hunting side by side the two werewolves split off and attacked in tandem easily taking out anyone who attacked them. Toris, being larger, would strike low by biting and clawing at the guards legs to immobilize them. While the she wolf, being the lighter of the two, went high. Her sharp teeth shredding the arms and throats of her prey.

A sudden, unexplained spark of fear went through the tawny male wolf as he tore a large chunk of flesh and muscle from the leg of the poorly armored man he had attacked. He paused momentarily confused by the inappropriate emotion, but soon realized the feeling wasn’t his. AS blue eyes widened in concern as he realized where the emotion had come from.

“Feliks!” the blue eyed wolf barked as he shot off swiftly down the nearest corridor instinctively knowing it would lead to his mate.

“Toris?” Elizaveta yipped in confused surprise before following her pack mate and catching up to him easily. “Where are you going?”

“Feliks is afraid. I need to get to him,” the brown wolf responded as he took a sharp left down a different hall. The she wolf, barely keeping pace, gave him an understanding look before focusing her attention forward again.

“With any luck Roderich will be with him,” the green eyed wolf barked and received a simple nod in response as they continued their trek in search of their mates.

* * *

 

Tino quickly notched another arrow as the one he had just released sank deeply into the throat of his target and took aim at his next victim.

“Ber, sweetheart,” the elf called sweetly to his mate as he sent another arrow whistling through the air. “Do you have any idea where your brother may be?”

The large man pulled his claw from the abdomen of the man he had eviscerated and cast his blue eyes upon the smaller man.

“You know that idiot. He’ll be wherever he can get into the most trouble,” Berwald responded as he blocked a sword strike with his claw while placing a swift kick to the attacker’s torso.

The purple eyed blonde rolled his eyes knowingly as he let another arrow fly. The petite male had learned shortly after meeting Mathias that the large male tended to draw trouble on to himself like a moth to a flame.

At that moment his sharp eyes caught sight of the two werewolves darting away down a corridor and he quirked a brow questioningly.

“Now where are they off too?” he mused aloud drawing the tall blonde’s attention once more. The blue eyed man opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by a loud, echoing roar.

“I think I may have an idea of where Mathias is,” Berwald said as he turned to his right and looked down a long hall as the sound seemed to be loudest there.

Tino sighed tiredly and sent another arrow sorrowing into a guard that was bearing down on him.

“I guess we had better go and help him,”

The tall, blonde gave a curt nodded and the pair dashed off down the corridor in search of their family.

* * *

 

“Stay behind me, Emil,” Lukas growled stretching out an arm like a shield in front of his younger sibling as his violet eyes became icy. He glared furiously at the guards that now surrounded them after they had been discovered freeing Emil.

Emil gave an exasperated sigh at his elder’s actions, but couldn’t help how his stomach twisted in fear at their current circumstance. His own violet eyes trailed over to Mathias who currently was struggling against the grasp of the eight men it had taken to drag him to the ground. The half dragon had put up a valiant fight to protect his family, but there had simply been too many for him to handle.

“Get off me, you bastards!” the spiky haired blonde yelled viciously as he bucked and squirmed beneath his captors.

"Quiet you," a rather menacing looking guard barked kicking the side of Mathias’ head before turning to Lukas. “Surrender wizard. You are surrounded and your little pet is subdued,”

The full wrath of Lukas’ glower turned onto the guard and he couldn’t help the smirk that rose to his lips when the man flinched slightly. It was good that these men stood in fear of him simply because they did not know the limitations of his magic. The pale blonde was not a fighter like Arthur. His talents lay in healing and dealing with mythical creatures. He could probably whip something up to cause a distraction so they could run, but that would do them little good. Well best to keep up the facade of being some menacing terror while thought of what to do.

“Please, you ignorant fool. You think someone as powerful as I would surrender to the likes of you?” the violet eyed man said stoically but laced it with a hint of arrogance.

“Oh, not only will you surrender to the likes of me,” the guard stated as a wry smile crossed his face. “You’ll be doing so on your knees,”

The small blonde didn’t have time to ponder the other man’s words as a yelp of surprise came from behind him.

While all attention had been focused on the confrontation between Lukas and the head guard another foot soldier had carefully crept up behind the brothers. Now said man had Emil clutched firmly to his chest with an arm wrapped around his throat as he retreated quickly away from the spell caster.

Emil struggled against his captor’s hold, but he was not strong enough to escape. He saw fear and anger fill his older brother’s eyes before he hung his head with a defeated sigh and that pissed the teen off.

He had just been liberated from his too long captivity and now Lukas was just going to give in to let it happen again. Well screw that!

The pale blonde  did not have the magical talent his brother did, but he did have one thing on his side. He had an extremely volatile temper and while being held he had been practicing a little magic.

As rage welled up in him at his situation and his brother’s lack of help so did the surge of energy. Swirling orange and white light began to form in his hands and in a flash burst into dozens of smaller separate balls. The balls then morphed into the shape of little snowy and fiery puffins.

For a moment the world seemed to freeze in place as the magic constructs hovered innocently in the air before they viciously began swooping down on the guards. Anguished screams filled the air as the soldiers were burnt by fire and ice.

The man who had been holding Emil instantly released the boy when one of the little birds flew into his face it’s fiery feet burning his cheeks as it pecked at his eyes.

Without missing a beat the blonde teen shot to his brother’s side and gave a cocky smirk.

“Show off,” Lukas muttered with an eye roll before grabbing the younger man’s hand and maneuvered through the chaos.

Mathias by this point had been freed and fell in step with the brothers as they came toward him.

“Nice job, little man,” the blue eyed blonde praised with a lopsided grin as the trio dashed away from the carnage.

“So what’s the plan?” the youngster queried with a small grin at the praise he had received.

“Make our way to the throne room and kill the son of a bitch who is responsible for all this,” the wizard stated simply with a stony countenance.

The three males rounded the corner at the corridors end, but came up short when they found themselves facing two welcome, familiar faces.

“Ber! Tino!” the half dragon cried out happily as he rushed forward and embraced the pair in a bone crushing hug. The elf squeaked in surprise while his companion simply gave a disparaging sigh.

“I see you got my invitation,” Lukas said with the smallest up turn of his lips.

Tino shot a friendly smile at the wizard as he managed to free himself from his brother in-laws grasp.

“Yes, well…” the blonde male trailed off as a guard dashed into view with half a dozen puffins trailing behind him. The five men watched as the poor fool ran past them for all he was worth with the constructs hot on his heels.

“Looks like Emil has been practicing,” Berwald stated simply as the man disappeared from sight.

“Oh, man you should have seen him bro. He was one awesome little badass,” Mathias gushed making the youngest among them blush.

“While I would love for us all to stand here praising Emil and enjoy our reunion we have more pressing matters,” Lukas interjected as he stepped forward and grabbed hold of his mate’s ear as a means of silencing him.

“Lukas is right. I am so ready to get out of this place,” Emil chimed in and the others simply nodded in agreement before they all turned back toward the main hall of the fortress. Happy reunions could come later. Now was the time for revenge.

* * *

 

“Persistent assholes aren’t they?” Alfred called out jokingly to his companions as he sent another guard sailing across the room to slam against the wall with a sickening crunch.

“Yes, quite,” Roderich responded dryly as his clawed fist crashed into a soldier’s face shattering it.

It hadn’t taken long after Lukas and Mathias had left for the remaining dragons to find themselves under siege. They had managed to bar the door as best they could with what little furniture in the room they had. Which had basically been the bed, but that had not lasted long. Once a passage had been made the guards had streamed in at a never ending pace. Fatigue was becoming evident in Alfred and Roderich’s more sluggish movements.

Matthew and the baby had moved to be as far from the door as possible and were resting comfortably on a makeshift cot with Feliks guarding over them. Yet, as the others tired from their battle he could not help being pulled into the fight as well.

“This is like totally un-awesome. They like have to be like running out of guys to send in here,” the green eyed blonde complained as he tackled his newest assailant to the ground and bashed his head against the ground until he was unconscious.

“You...would...think…” the wheat blonde male panted as he delivered a rather strong roundhouse kick to the midsection of an advancing guard.

Unfortunately, this made an opening for a rather crafty soldier to slip past the blue eyed man and dash for the ones they were protecting. Alfred swore loudly and made to go after the man, but was cut off by having to block a sword blow aimed at his neck.

Thankfully, Feliks was the swiftest amongst them and sent a flying kick into the small of the sneaky guard’s back. As they crashed to the ground the petite male couldn’t help the vindictive smile that grace his lovely features as he heard the satisfying snap of one of his victim’s vertebrae. Daintly, the effeminate half dragon stepped off the downed man before delivering a hard kick to his temple knocking him out.

Suddenly, startled cries and pandemonium could be heard from out in the corridor. The soldiers that had entered the room turned back to aid their comrades leaving the stunned dragons behind. Clashing metal, pained screams, and distinct animals growls filled the air for several moments before the order of retreat was given. The echo of departing footsteps was heard and then all was silent.

Several tense moments later a pair of  large tawny wolves crept cautiously into the room and two pairs of slitted eyes widened in surprise.

“TORIS!” Feliks squealed joyously and shot across the room slamming into the larger of the two canines making it stumble slightly. The blonde sobbed and clung desperately to the beast as it slowly shifted into the form of a man.

“Oh, Feliks. My beautiful Feliks,” the newly changed man said as he clung just as fiercely to the smaller male.

Roderich and the smaller wolf had stood frozen merely staring at each other for several moments before the wolf had suddenly surged forward. The violet eyed brunette dropped to his knees and caught the canine in an affectionate embrace.

“Eliza, mein liebling. I missed you so,” the aristocratic man said sweetly as the wolf in his arms took on the form of a brunette woman. Heart wrenching sobs escaped the lovely girl as she clung aggressively to the larger man.

“Oh, Roddy! I th-thought I’d n-never see you a-again,” she hiccupped as she pushed back to lock her teary green eyes with her mate’s purple ones. “HR! HR he...he’s…”

“I know, beloved and I’m so sorry,” the chocolate haired man said as his own tears began to stream down his face sending the woman in his arms into a fresh fit of crying.

Alfred looked on at the heartwarming scene before him and his chest constricted painfully at being reminded his own mate was not present. However, if these two had come then maybe Arthur and Gilbert were here too. He would have to be patient and give the reunited couples some time before asking.

* * *

 

“Eyes on the prize, Gilbert,” Arthur called back encouragingly to his companion as the pair fought through the mass of men that blocked their path to the main hall. As soon as they had entered the stronghold the pair had one goal in mind: Cut off the head of the snake. This meant that they needed to reach the heart of the fortress and find the man who controlled the place.

The wizard’s magic whips had done much to cut through the majority of their obstacles and whatever escaped their long reach Gilbert was all too happy to remove. The knight had desperately wanted to search for his mate, but like any good soldier knew that securing victory came first.

Now there were a mere dozen or so guards that stood between them and their prize.

“You ready for this, Eyebrows?” the albino asked as he held his sword aloft and took up a charging stance. The sandy blonde pulled back his magic to form a sword and shield.

“Are you?” he shot back teasingly with a cocky smirk and launched forward into the fray. A bark of laughter rang out from the ruby eyed knight as he followed closely behind.

Adrenaline rushed through Arthur’s veins and it was the best high he’d had in sometime. He adored his life with Alfred and Penny, yet, part of him missed his younger days of being a vicious out-law. He was reminded of those days as his magic sword easily sliced into the belly of the man he faced. Blood poured from the wound and the scent brought a feral grin to the spell caster’s face.

Moving ever forward the viridian eyed man progressed through the men before him until he stood before the doors of the great hall. The tiniest amount of guilt stabbed at his heart as he pushed open those doors. He knew that this man had wronged many people and they all deserved to pass judgment on him. However, the wizard was a very unforgiving man and had decided to take it upon himself to be judge, jury, and executioner.

“I’m sorry, everyone,” the straw blonde murmured as he slid into the room and barred the door with his magic. “But you do not want to bear witness to the atrocities I am going to commit,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: OHMAGERD! This chapter had SO MUCH going on. Well guys next chapter should be the end (minus the bonus story/chapter). This has been a journey and I'm glad you all came along for the ride. Until next time my awesome readers!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right kids here it is! We have reached the end of 'Rescuing Dragons'. It's been a fun ride and we do have a bonus chapter to look forward to. Your support and love for this AU have been beyond amazing! I seriously have the best fans EVER! I've got one lil warning for this chapter: SUCKER PUNCH TO YOUR FEELS! On that note, please enjoy!
> 
> I just own the plot!

Gilbert sat slumped against the throne room doors after exhausting himself trying to force his way in. The agonized screams and maniacal laughter had only recently died away which left a worried knot in the knight’s stomach.

The echoing sound of several quickly approaching footsteps drew his attention. He tiredly lifted his head and was greeted with the sight of a quintet of blondes.

“Tino. Berwald. Looks like you found your friends,” the albino greeted with a small wave of his hand.

“Yes, we…” Tino began but was cut off by the second shortest blonde.

“Where is the Dragon Master?” the violet eyed blonde demanded as he took several aggressive steps toward the vermilion eyed man and tendrils of purple magic danced around his hands.

“You must be Lukas,” the silver haired male stated cocking his head at the door behind him. “He’s in there with Arthur,”

“Arthur’s in there?” the pale man gave an affirmative nod. “Well that’s just wonderful!” Lukas raged as he turned away and began muttering in a language none of them knew.

“Why’s that got you so pissed, babe? He’s just one guy,” Mathias asked as he moved to comfort his mate.

“Cause Iggy has one Hell of an aggressive temper with the magic to back it up,” Alfred’s familiar voice called out and all eyes turned toward its source.

The azure eyed blonde approached the gathering with another blonde and a trio of brunettes in tow. However, the figure held firmly in the tan man’s arms was the only thing that Gilbert could focus on.

“BIRDIE!” the knight cried out in horror as he shot forward toward his mate with renewed vigor.

Alfred stopped in his tracks instantly and gently lowered his brother to lay upon the floor. The pale blonde was at his side in moments and gathered the lemon blonde into his arms as joyous, anguished tears streamed down his face.

“Matthew, liebling, I’m here,” the ruby eyed man said softly as he gently brushed the hair from his beloved’s face. When Matthew did not stir the knight looked up questioningly at his brother in-law.

“We don’t know why, but he won’t wake up, Gil,” the tan man said with his own anguish evident in his voice.

“What happened?” the albino asked as he felt a fissure begin in his heart.

“He...He went into labor. They threw me out. They...They cut him open and he passed out. Lukas healed him, but…” Alfred stammered out before trailing off. The other blonde then stepped forward with a small wriggling bundle in his arms.

“Like there is someone here who totally wants to meet you,” He said as he slowly lowered to his knees and with some careful cajoling managed to get the little bundle into Gilbert’s free arm.

Red eyes widened as they stared down into the violet eyes of the petite figure he now held.

“Gil, say hi to your daughter,” Alfred said encouragingly while reaching out a hand to gently stroke his niece’s tiny cheek.

For several moments Gilbert didn’t react. He sat completely overwhelmed by a myriad of emotions and didn’t know what to do. Finally a strangled sob escaped him and his head fell to his chest. Unable to articulate the albino could only gesture for his brother in-law to take the baby.

The cerulean eyed man obliged with a sympathetic gleam in his eyes. With his arm know free the silvery haired man clutched the unconscious blonde to his chest and gently stroked his hair as the tears flowed more freely from his eyes.

“She’s beautiful just like you, liebling. You did such a good job and…” He paused to take a deep breath and steady his voice. “I’m so sorry for not being there. You had to have been so scared and I will forever regret failing you,”

His grip on the lemon blonde eased and he leaned back far enough to place a loving kiss on his mate’s slightly parted lips before pressing their foreheads together. His red eyes falling shut as the tears continued to flow.

The others all stood by silently out of respect for the heartbroken man sobbing before them. Elizaveta came forward and placed a sympathetic hand on both Gilbert and Alfred’s shoulders as she fought back her own tears.

“Gil? Sweetheart why are you crying?” a sudden familiar voice asked just barely above a whisper making the knight freeze in disbelief. Ever so slowly he slid his eyes open and was greeted by the sight of two familiar amethysts looking back at him quizzically.

“B-birdie?” Gilbert said hesitantly scared that this was all some trick of his distraught mind.

“What’s going on?” the violet eyed male questioned as he looked around quite disoriented before he was crushed in a double sided embrace.

“Mattie, you’re awake. I was so worried,” Alfred said happily.

“Al…” the lemon blonde began, but trailed off as his eyes fell upon the baby his brother held gently.

Hesitantly, Matthew reached out and gingerly took the babe into his own arms. Wide amethyst eyes stared down into droopy violet eyes as the baby yawned and snuggled into her mother.

“Hi, Madeline. I’m your mama,” Matthew said softly with a loving smile and his vision became watery.

The tender moment was suddenly broken when the doors to the throne room flew open. All eyes turned to the doors and a rather frantic looking Arthur appeared. His emerald eyes looked about wildly until they settled upon Alfred.

Wordlessly the cerulean eyed man rose to his feet before he sprinted toward the shorter male. Spurred forward the sandy blonde moved toward his mate and they slammed into each other halfway.

Blue locked with green momentarily before their lips met in an earnest, passionate kiss.

“I am never letting you out of my sight again,” the wizard said as they pulled away from each other.

“Ditto,” the dragon agreed as he held more tightly to his mate.

Lukas then stepped forward and cleared his throat behind the pair drawing their attention.

“Sorry to interrupt your reunion, but we have some business to attend to,”

“Right. What do you need Lukas?” Arthur asked rolling his eyes as he disentangled himself from Alfred.

"What did you do with that bastard the Dragon Master?" the violet eyed wizard questioned as he looked toward the throne room.

“He’s in there. Well most of him at least. I wouldn’t recommend going in there though. It’s a bit...messy,” the straw blonde said with a malicious smirk.

Irritated purple eyes shifted back to glower at the other spellcaster.

“You know others had a vendetta with him first,” Lukas said dryly.

“First come, first serve, mate. If Vlad was here he could resurrect him for you,” Arthur teased.

“Did he at least suffer?” the pale blonde pressed.

“Now, Lukas, you do realize with whom you are speaking, don’t you?” the wizard scoffed with a sinister glint in his green eyes.

“Right. Stupid question,” the amethyst eyed male said with a sigh. “Well now what do we do to prevent someone else from trying something like this?”

A devious smile crossed the viridian eyed man’s face as he turned toward Mathias.

“You are Lukas' dragon mate correct?” he questioned and the spiky blonde nodded in confirmation. “Come here a moment,”

Mathias, while confused, did as he was bid and approached the smaller blonde as the man dug around in his cloak. Once he had found what he was looking for Arthur motioned for the taller male to bend down slightly. Again Mathias complied and was a bit shocked when a thick, golden circlet was placed upon his head.

“The king is dead, all hail the king,” the green eyed blonde said pompously and turned a cheeky grin on the other wizard.

“You can’t be serious?” Lukas said looking incredulously between Mathias and Arthur.

“And why not? I think you would make a lovely queen,” Arthur teased before shifting into a more serious tone. “If you want to prevent this from happening again then you must be in control,”  

They glowered at each other for several minutes before the pale blonde wizard heaved a heavy sigh of concession.

“Well now that that is settled…” the green eyed wizard trailed off as he launched a fist at the other wizard’s jaw and connected hard enough to knock the other back slightly. A resounding gasp rang out from those present and the sandy blonde found his neck trapped in Mathias’ vice like grip.

“What the Hell?” the spiky blonde demanded as his fiery blue eyes narrowed into slits. Alfred’s own hand was gripped firmly around the other blonde’s wrist and his own eyes were alight with fury.

“Let him go you idiot,” Lukas commanded as he gingerly rubbed at his bruising jaw. Mathias shot a confused look at the smaller blonde, but released Arthur when he received an irritated eye roll from his mate. The other blonde did the same once his own mate was safe.

Again the two wizards stood glaring each other down.

“You could have asked for help, you prat,” the viridian eyed male spat out.

“Oh, because you would have so willingly left behind your mate and child for me,” the violet eyed male countered contemptuously.

“Point taken. It was a clever plan though to come knowing I could trace your magic,” Arthur gave a knowing, friendly grin to the other.

“I had counted on it. If it’s any consolation it disgusted me to help him at all. I had refused to go on previous retrievals, but after what happened to Roderich’s child I had to do something,” Here the pale blonde looked to the brunette couple with a regretful countenance before striding toward them.

“Lukas,” Roderich said primly as the wizard approached.

“Roderich, Elizaveta. There is nothing I can do to right the wrongs that have been done to you,” Elizaveta flinched slightly but remained stoic as she looked at the man before her. “Nothing can replace your son, but maybe this will help to heal your hearts,”

Lukas reached into his cloak and came out holding a rather large egg. Roderich’s eyes widened in shock.

“Is that?”

“A dragon egg? Yes, and I think you two would make the best parents for this little orphan,” the spellcaster said as he handed the egg to Elizaveta.

“Where did it come from?” the brunette woman asked as she clutched the egg protectively to her chest.

“I do not know. It was in the Dragon Master’s possession when I arrived. I lied and told him it was dead. I had intended to raise it myself, but you are obviously the better choice,” Lukas explained with the tiniest of smiles.

Tears swam in the she-wolf’s eyes as she looked up to her mate with a small smile before turning back to the blonde.

“Thank you,” she said softly and placed a kiss on the wizard’s cheek making him flush slightly.

“You’re welcome,” he murmured before scurrying back to Mathias’ side.

“You all right there, mate?” Arthur teased earning a scathing glare from his friend. “Right then. I think it’s time we all went home,”

Moving to the largest shadow he could locate the sandy blonde raised his hand and cast the travel spell.

“Not the damn shadows again,” Gilbert groaned as he looked wearily at the inky darkness.

“Would you rather spend a month walking home?” the viridian eyed man retorted irritably.

“It’ll be fine, Gil. Can you help me up?” Matthew asked with a reassuring smile.

“Are you sure you can walk, Matt?” Alfred asked as he quickly moved to his brother’s side for support.

“Won’t know until I try,” the lemon blonde responded as he braced against his mate and rose onto shaky legs. He wobbled for a moment, but found himself growing stronger quickly.

Goodbyes were exchanged all around along with promises of keeping in touch. Once everyone was ready the four pairs, led by Arthur, entered the shadow and began their trek home.

* * *

 

“Where Maddie?” Penny cooed as she stood with eyes covered in front of her cousin, who was held firmly in Matthew’s lap on the stone in front of their home. “There Maddie!”

The infant giggled happily as the older girl pulled her hands away to reveal her sapphire eyes.

“Penny you are so good at this game,” Matthew praised with a small chuckle making his niece beam with pride.

“That’s cause she is my big girl,” Alfred said proudly as he came up behind his daughter and scooped her up into his arms making the toddler squeal gleefully.

It had been several months since the kidnapping incident and they had all settled back into their normal lives fairly easily.

Today found Alfred and Matthew sitting outside entertaining their daughter’s while Gilbert and Arthur had gone into town for supplies.

The sudden sound of hoofbeats filled the air announcing the return of the other men.

“Daddy! Daddy!” the tiny blonde girl exclaimed happily as she turned to see her father and uncle arriving in the cart.

As the vehicle came to a stop, Alfred set his child down and the toddler raced toward her father. Hopping from the cart Arthur stooped down to catch the girl in an embrace.

“Did you miss me, poppet?” the wizard asked as he rose to his feet holding the little blonde in his arms.

“Yes,” Penny exclaimed as she clung affectionately to her father.

“Welcome home, Artie,” the wheat blonde said as he placed a kiss on his mates lips.

“Welcome home, Gil. Any news while you were in town?” Matthew greeted receiving a kiss from the knight.

“Lots, mein liebling. You’ll never guess who is expecting,” Gilbert said as he gently caressed Madeline’s hair.

“It wouldn’t happen to be Lovina, now would it?” Alfred asked with a knowing smile as he wrapped an arm around Arthur’s waist pulling him closely to his side.

“How’d you know?” the albino responded.

“She smelled different the last time we saw her and Toni,” the blue eyed blonde answered.

“We also received a letter from both Toris and Elizaveta. She informed us that her egg hatched. She and Roderich are the parents of a little male dragon they named Raphael. She said he has violet eyes like Roderich with white hair,” Arthur said with a grin that they all shared. It was nice to hear that their friends had found joy after their previous tragedy.

“What did Toris have to say?” the lemon blonde asked as he shifted his daughter from one hip to the other.

“He and Feliks are expecting as well,” Gilbert said as he snaked an arm around his mate’s waist.

“Wow, everyone is having a baby except our Nordlin five, but then again they are running a small kingdom,” Matthew said cheerily as he leaned into Gilbert.

“Quite successfully too if I may say so myself,” Arthur said smugly with a smirk.

“All this baby talk kind of makes you want to have another one, huh Artie?” Alfred asked teasingly.

“Well maybe once Penny is another year older,” the wizard said as he set his wriggling daughter down. The girl then ran to Gilbert and asked to be picked up to be eye level with Madeline. The red eyed man was all too happy to comply.

“And if I happened to turn up pregnant before then?” the cerulean eyed man pressed with an odd gleam in his eyes.

“Alfred are you trying to tell me something?” the straw blonde queried looking at his mate suspiciously.

“Maybe,” the honey blonde shrugged before casually sauntering into the cave.

“Alfred! Alfred you get back here and answer me properly,” Arthur called out in slight anger as he followed behind the tan man.

Gilbert chuckled at the silly actions of his in-laws.

“Is he really pregnant or just trying to get Art’s goat?” the silvery haired man asked looking into his beloved’s violet eyes.

“Maybe,” Matthew said with a smirk before he too walked into the cave with a flustered knight on his heels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do your feels ache? Sorry (not sorry). Well I hope y'all enjoyed that and will stick around for the bonus chapter. Raphael is Kugelmugel by the way. Until next time!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: All right my dearests here is the long anticipated Bonus chapter. Look I squeezed in one more pairing! (Had to get my other OTP in here somehow.) Also, Romania is back! YEAH! I apologize for any incorrect foreign languages. We can blame Google Translate. Translations at bottom. Please see the special announcement at the end. It is VERY important.
> 
> Please enjoy! I own just the plot!

"Hurry up, tomato bastard," Lovina barked as she strode determinedly through the streets of North Ameland with Antonio following closely behind her.

"Why are you in such a hurry, Lovi?" Antonio asked with a dopey grin as he managed to fall into step beside his beloved.

"Who knows what that wine sucking bastard has done to the poor bambina. I still can't believe the magic bastard left his daughter with that jerk," the yellow-green eyed woman said as horrible images of poor little Penny in perilous scenarios raced across her mind and her pace quickened again.

Lovina may have seemed like the kind of person who didn't have the tolerance for children, but that image was completely false. She was married to Antonio after all and at the best of times he was little more than an overgrown child. At least that's how the auburn haired female saw it.

Francis' house was now in sight and the olive skinned girl all but sprinted to the front door.

"Oi, wine bastard, we're here. Open the damn door," she shouted as she banged on the door with her fist. Antonio stepped up beside her and bit back a chuckle. His little wife was SO adorable at times.

The wooden door flew open so suddenly that the dark haired woman's knuckles nearly collided with Francis' haggard face and desperate wails could be heard ringing out through the house.

"Dieu merci, you are here," the bedraggled blonde said with a heavy sigh before grabbing hold of Lovina's hand. "Come, maybe you can soothe the little beast,"

The olive skinned female jerked her hand from his grip and glared daggers at the blue eyed man.

"Don't touch me, bastardo! What have you done to Penny and that is no way to talk about a sweet little child," she snapped angrily.

"I have to agree with Lovi, amigo. Kids can be a handful, but it can't be that bad," Antonio chimed in as he wrapped an arm around the smaller woman's shoulders.

"What have I...Can't be that bad...Sweet little...You have not been here with her everyday. She is a demon incarnate just like her horrid father," Francis exclaimed as he began wildly gesturing to himself. "She does not stop crying. She has burnt holes in nearly all of my nice tunics and my hair! My glorious hair has been scorched on the ends,"

"I thought you had done something with your hair," the chocolate haired male said innocently as he eyed his friend's shortened, choppy locks.

The light blonde man gave an exasperated sigh and began muttering viciously in his native tongue as a particularly loud and pathetic wail met their ears.

Pushing past the distressed blue eyed man, Lovina charged into the house and followed the child's cries. She quickly found herself in the kitchen where she found the blonde babe whimpering and gnawing savagely on her little fist. Realization washed over the woman like a spring shower and she began frantically digging around in Francis' pantry.

The two men had followed behind the auburn haired female and now watched her curiously.

"Ah ha! Here's one," she exclaimed triumphantly as she turned with a carrot in her hand. Moving quickly to the sink she rinsed the orange vegetable before lopping off both ends and peeling it at lightening fast speed. Satisfied that the carrot was now safe for the child she turned to the babe holding the food item out to her.

"Here, bella bambina. This should help,"

Penny eyed the carrot for a moment before taking it into her chubby hands and instantly putting it into her mouth. Her whimpers died down to little sniffles and Lovina smiled proudly before rounding on Francis with a scowl.

Both men were staring at her with wide eyes and mouth agape.

"Mon petite, you are an angel of mercy," Francis said as he stepped forward to embrace the yellow-green eyed girl, but received a sharp jab to his chest instead.

"What kind of idiota doesn't realize a baby is teething? You had to have noticed how raw the skin on her hands is from gnawing on them," the ruddy haired woman accused.

"I thought it was her way of coping with the absence of her parents," the blonde responded as he rubbed at the spot on his chest where the smaller female had jabbed him.

Lovina rolled her eyes in irritation and began muttering angrily in her native tongue.

"Amigo, has Penny had her lunch yet?" Antonio asked placing a friendly hand on the other man's shoulder.

"Non, I was about to prepare lunch when you both arrived," the dark blue eyed man responded.

"Well then how about you go out for an hour or so and relax a little. Mi Lovinita and I can watch Penny until you come back," the green eyed man suggested with a wide grin.

"Really?" Francis said turning wide, hopeful eyes on his friend.

"Si, bastardo. Go and shop or whatever flouncy things you do," Lovina said with a dismissive flick of her hand as she began rummaging in the pantry for their meal.

"Merci, merci mes amis. I truly appreciate it," the blue eyed blonde said before dashing off to another room of the house.

* * *

"Look mi pequena. Do you see the little birdie?" Antonio asked as he wandered around the small clearing behind the house with Penny held firmly in his arms.

"Maddie?" the little girl said looking around expectantly before turning confused cerulean eyes on him.

Realization slowly sank in and the tan man chuckled at his own mistake.

"Lo siento, nina. Matteo is not here. I forgot that Gil called him Birdie," the dark brown haired man apologized and gave the little girl in his arms a gentle hug.

"Mama," Penny sniffled and buried her face into the tan man's shoulder.

"Don't cry, Penny," the former knight cooed as he softly shushed and bounced the baby in his arms.

"Why is she crying? What did you do?" Lovina demanded as she strode up to her husband.

"I pointed out a bird to her and she misunderstood me. She thought Matteo was here and I guess it made her think of Alfred," Antonio explained as he sheepishly rubbed at his neck.

"Idiota," the auburn haired female said with a sigh and roll of her eyes. "Here, give her to me. I think it's time for a siesta,"

The olive skinned woman out stretched her arms and secured her hands around the baby's waist. As she slowly brought the child toward her she noticed that the silver bracelet Penny wore was snagged on Antonio's shirt.

"Her bracelet is caught on your shirt. Unclasp it so we can remove it without putting a hole in your shirt,"

"Ah, si. One moment," the peridot eyed man said as his hands came up and quickly undid the bracelet.

As soon as the silver bauble fell away Penny's fussing stopped and her little head came up. Her azure eyes looked about curiously and she squirmed in Lovina's arms.

"Da," she called out as her focus centered on the woods behind her.

"No, bambina. Your papa is not here. Let's settle down for a siesta," Lovina said gently as she struggled to keep her hold on the babe.

"Da!" the little girl exclaimed and her body began to smolder.

"Che cosa?" the auburn haired woman shouted as she set the child on the ground and watched in horror as she burst into flame. Moments later as the flames died away they revealed a sapphire blue dragon with golden fringe that was roughly the size of a Great Dane.

The little creature looked at the pair with familiar blue eyes and gave a throaty chirp before moving on shaky legs into the forest.

Antonio and Lovina stood rooted in place and completely dumbstruck by what they had seen. They had known Alfred was a dragon and that Arthur was a wizard, but that still had not prepared them for watching Penny transform.

"Mes amis what are you doing back here? Where is Penny?" Francis' voice called to them and they slowly turned to face him. Blue eyes looked over the stunned forms of his friends quizzically before the gleam of the silver bracelet still attached to Antonio's shirt caught his attention.

The blonde man blanched in horror as realization hit him like a rampaging bull.

"Please tell me that is not Penny's bracelet attached to your shirt, Toni," The chocolate haired man nodded woodenly. "Mes dieux, what did you do? Where is she? Arthur is going to kill me!"

"What did we do? All we did was take off her bracelet and the next thing we know she has burst into flame! You could have told us the damn thing was keeping her from turning into a dragon!" Lovina shouted angrily at the other man.

"She transformed! That's it! We are doomed! She will burn down the village and come to harm! I'm a dead man!" the light blonde exclaimed hysterically as he clutched at his hair.

"What if we find her and put the bracelet back on?" Antonio offered in an attempt to both calm his companions as well as lower their voices. They didn't exactly want to broadcast to the village that they had a baby dragon and send the villagers into a panic.

"Toni, that's brilliant, but where did she go?" Francis said looking adoringly at his friend.

"She went into the forest. She seemed convinced Arthur was in there," the yellow-green eyed woman answered looking to the spot where the little lizard had gone. "She seemed rather unsteady on her feet so she can't have gotten far,"

"Right," the dark blue eyed man said as he stepped forward. With deft fingers he removed the bracelet from the tan man's shirt and clutched it firmly in his hand. "Let's find her before anyone else can,"

* * *

Vlad smiled up at the sunny, blue sky above him and basked in the warmth it gave him. He would never tire of being able to walk in the sun unlike his brethren. There were so many perks to being a wizard and a vampire.

The sudden rustling of leaves caught his attention and he licked his lips in anticipation. He did so hope that he would be enjoying a snack shortly. Crouching slightly and preparing to launch himself at whatever hapless creature came into his presence.

He froze in utter shock when instead of a deer or bear a dragon emerged from the brush. He was even more surprised when the blue beast toddled right up to him and nuzzled his chest.

"Well hello there pretty one. Wherever did you come from?" the strawberry blonde said as he gently stroked the golden fringe lining the dragon's head.

Gem like blue eyes looked up at the vampire curiously before darkening with sadness. A distressed little chirp escaped the reptile as it sat back on it's haunches and hung it's head. Roaring sobs escaped the poor thing as it brought it's claws up to rub at it's scaly face.

"There, there little one. What has you so upset?" the red eyed man said as he drew magic into his hand. "Let's get you back into a more manageable form,"

With two fingers pointed at the dragon he drew a few runes in the air and murmured a spell. An orb of vermilion magic surrounded the blue lizard and began to shrink as the creature took on it's human form. A moment later the orb faded and a little sandy blonde girl sat crying on the ground.

The wizard smiled gently as he knelt down before the child and his ruby eyes glowed. His grin widened into a smirk as he saw familiar traces of green magic all over the little blonde.

"Well, well Arthur it looks like you have been busy since we saw each other last," Vlad mused aloud as he reached out and scooped the child into his arms wrapping her naked form in his cloak. "Now, my little crumpet, let's see if we can find your parents,"

The babe's sobs had died down and she snuggled into the warmth of the vampire's arms. Heading in the direction the child had come from the pair struck out to return her home.

They had not traveled very far when the red eyed wizard heard the approach of others.

"Penny!" three accented voices called out into the wilderness, but he recognized none of them. The child, however, stirred in his arms at hearing these people.

"Do you know them, little turnover?" he asked the child as they stepped into a clearing.

At that same time the others also came into the clearing. There were three of them. A brunette man, an auburn haired woman, and a blonde man. The blonde's blue eyes widened to the size of saucers when he saw the baby.

"Penny!" he cried out and instantly started across the clearing. Instinctively, the strawberry blonde called up a barrier making the other man come up short.

"Sorry, friend, but when people approach me so suddenly they usually intend to do me harm," Vlad said with a wide smile making sure that they all saw his fangs. Both men abruptly reached for swords that were not there upon seeing his elongated canines.

The blue eyed man was the first to recover once he realized he did not have his weapon.

"My apologies. I was just overjoyed to see you had found our wayward charge unharmed," he said pleasantly while he cautiously eyed the magic user.

"She is a rare little beauty, isn't she," Vlad said as he reached up and gently stroked the girl, Penny's, downy locks.

"Yes, she is," the light blonde responded. It had not escaped the vampire's attention that the other two had moved around the clearing to flank him on either side.

"Tell me, where is her father?" the vermilion eyed male asked as he discreetly started drawing up energy to prepare for a fight. He had not quite figured out the intentions of these people regarding his friend's child, but he would defend her with his life if need be.

"He is away and left her in my care. Why do you ask?" the dark blue eyed man questioned suspiciously

"That's a shame. I would like to have seen my old friend. You are fortunate to not have inherited his eyebrows, my little souffle," the wizard said nuzzling the baby's tiny brow.

The three other adults froze in place and looked at the vampire in surprise.

"You know Arthur?" the woman asked.

"Yes, we studied magic together," Vlad responded turning a charming grin on her.

"This is magnifico. Maybe he can help with the bracelet?" the brunette man chimed in cheerily his bright eyes shining.

"Bracelet?" the strawberry blonde queried turning his gaze to the other man.

"Oh, si. When we took it off mi pequena Penny changed her form," the green eyed man explained.

"Oh, Arthur. You always were rather useless when it came to more subtle magics," the fanged wizard said with a chuckle. "Well we can deal with all of that once we return to your home. My little pastry here is in dire need of some rest,"

"Yes, let us return to the village," the blonde said with a genuine grin as he turned to lead the way.

"I appreciate your hospitality. I'm sure I will be most comfortable staying with you," the strawberry blonde said casually.

"What?!" the blue eyed blonde exclaimed having stopped dead in his tracks and looked incredulously at the vampire.

"If I'm going to help with our dear Penny I would expect the least I could be offered is a place to stay," the red eyed male said as he continued to stride forward.

"When did my home become a boardinghouse for monsters?" the other man ranted and threw his arms up in exasperation.

"I would be careful going around calling people monsters," Vlad said turning to look at his companion with a toothy, devious grin. "Some people may be offended,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Yes, Vlad was at Francis' when Arthur called him. Sneaky lil bat. So that's it for this one. Glad y'all came along for the ride.  
> Dieu merci=Thank goodness  
> bella bambina=beautiful baby  
> Mon petite=my little one  
> Che cosa=what  
> Mi pequena=my little one (female)  
> lo siento, nina=I'm sorry, little girl  
> Mes dieux=my gods
> 
> So I have some very important news to share that is going to impact my world (& writing) dramatically. Remember how I was slow updating for a while because I was sick? Well turns out I'm going to have a baby. Yeah you read that right Freezey is going to be a mommy. (Take that infertility diagnosis!)
> 
> So with having dropped that bombshell we'll get to how this effects you guys, my amazing beyond belief fans/friends. Until I actually have the wee one I will continue to write. I have bunches of one shots to do and some chapter stories planned out. Once the little one gets here though updating/writing will be...interesting. My little baby will be taking up much of my time. Fear not I will do my best to still write for it helps keep me sane, but things will be spotty. I'm warning you guys now so my inbox doesn't fill up with messages like: 'Please update' or 'Are you on hiatus?' & etc. If at anytime I just get too overwhelmed I will let you guys know. So all I'm asking is to bear with me.
> 
> All right so that is all and I look forward to seeing you guys with all my future works.
> 
> All my love!  
> Freezey


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